


Crack the Code (to my heart)

by Zupsgirl1 (Fraulein_Zupan)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Action, Aliases, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Hacking, Angst, BAMF Katsuki Yuuri, Codes & Ciphers, Computers, Don’t copy to another site, Espionage, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Government Agencies, Hacker Katsuki Yuuri, Hacking, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, More characters to be added, Nothing graphic i swear, Plot Twists, Secret Identity, Some Fluff, Suspense, Writer Victor Nikiforov, but I don't want to give some things away yet, computer genius Katsuki Yuuri, penetration testing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-09-30 05:24:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fraulein_Zupan/pseuds/Zupsgirl1
Summary: Katsuki Yūri, living as Yuuri Nakamura, is a computer genius who heads a ragtag, yet highly successful, team of experts in penetration testing. Despite his success, Yuuri has been on the run from his past for five years, afraid of allowing anyone to become too close.That all changes when he meets a gorgeous writer named Victor at the local coffee shop. As the two become closer, however, Yuuri’s past starts closing in on him.Realizing that he can’t run forever, does Yuuri risk everything — his career, friends, and a chance at love — so he can free himself from the demons that haunt him?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I have a few other WIPs in progress, and I promise I'm working on those updates, but I've been sitting on this for a little while and decided I really wanted to post this first chapter because I'm super excited for this idea. This is inspired by one of my favorite movies, Sneakers (1992), but you don't need to have seen it to follow along because I will be deviating from the movie quite a bit. It is a really fun movie though, so I do recommend checking it out when you have time!
> 
> There will be suspense, angst and plot twists, but also some fluff and humor. Some minor threats of violence and injury will be mentioned, but I promise it won't be anything graphic. Also, as listed in the tags, I will be adding more characters as we go but I don't want to give too much away yet. ;) 
> 
> Also just to be clear, I'm not an expert on hacking or penetration testing, but I've done a little bit a research. I also have looked up some of the approximate jail sentences for such crimes, but those mentioned for minors in the USA (under 18) might not be accurate. I am in no means an expert in the law. This is just meant to be a fun story, so please suspend any disbelief if necessary.

_Wayne State University - Atchison Hall Residence_ s

 

“So Katsu, who do you think the Governor should make a sizeable donation to?”

 

“Well, he’s definitely very generous and cares deeply about animals, as one can see from all his big game hunting photos… I say let’s go with all the city animal shelters.”

 

“I agree… okay, give me the numbers.”

 

“Here you go. Hey V1rg0... a-are you sure we won’t get caught?”

 

“Oh Katsu, stop worrying so much! We’ve taken the necessary precautions, and you’re a genius at this. There’s no way they can trace us. Okay… annnnd done. There, we’ve just saved a ton of sweet kitties and doggos!”

 

“Awesome! At least we’re doing something important with his corrupt money.” Katsu turns from his own computer and pats V1rg0 on the shoulder.

 

V1rg0 turns and gives him a huge grin. “Hell yeah! So, I don’t know about you man, but all these good deeds have made me hungry. Want to get some food?”

 

“Sure. Who’s going?”

 

V1rg0 dramatically lays across the desk in mock exhaustion. “Since I’m _totally_ exhausted from all that typing, I say it’s your turn.”

 

“Nice, real nice. _Fine_ , whatcha want?” Katsu stands and stretches, his back making a satisfying pop.

 

“Pizza. Hawaiian of course. Oh! And can you also grab us some coffees too? We still have a long night ahead of us.”

 

“Sure, although we probably should be getting some studying done too, you know?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Too bad we can’t get any credit for this. It’d be a guaranteed ‘A’ that’s for sure.”

 

“Hah! Wouldn’t that be nice? Alright, be back in just a bit.” Katsu grabs his keys and heads towards the door.

 

“Remember, make mine Hawaiian. I know how much you try to “forget” the pineapple.”

 

Katsu just laughs and throws a wave over his shoulder.

 

— — — —

 

Katsu is driving down the street, back towards the residences when he sees the lights. Slowing the car, he notices police cars pulled up in front of the residence hall, his heart plummeting into his stomach. They can’t be there for them, right? There’s just no way — something else must’ve happened. Unsure of the situation, he pulls over into a parking spot alongside the road to watch. Quickly pulling out his phone, he calls V1rg0. As it rings and rings, Katsu’s fear spikes.

 

_Shit, shit, shit._

 

Suddenly, the front doors of the building fling open and a crowd of cops come filing out, leading a person in handcuffs and _oh fuck no_ … it’s V1rg0. _They have V1rg0_. How?! They were traced somehow, despite Katsu’s attempts at covering their steps. How the hell did they find them, and what the hell is he supposed to do now? If he tries to stop them, to say it was all his fault, then they’ll just arrest him too. What will his family think of him then?

 

“I’m so sorry V1rg0… I’m just… _I’m so sorry_.” With tears streaming down his face, Katsu quickly pulls out of the spot and turns around, taking off down the street and into the night.

 

* * *

 

_Manhattan, New York - Five years later…_

  
Yuuri wakes and bolts upright in bed, gasping and sweating. Fumbling around for his phone, he grabs it off the nightstand and looks at the time — three A.M. He puts it back and lays down again, trying to calm his trembling breaths. He had the nightmare again. The same one that’s been plaguing him for five long years. A constant reliving of the worst night of his life — watching, frozen in horror, as his best friend is hauled away by the police. All because of something they both had been guilty of, but Yuuri swore they weren’t going to get caught because he was supposed to have made sure they couldn’t be traced. It was his responsibility to protect them, but he had failed. Of course he did. He should’ve known he was going to fail, that he couldn’t keep them safe. It was all his fault, yet V1rg0 was the one to get caught and sent to jail, while Yuuri had gotten away and was free.

 

 _Free_ . That was an interesting choice of word, wasn’t it? Yuuri isn’t free. Katsuki Yūri, codename Katsu_Damn, was a fugitive, having disappeared without a trace. Katsuki Yūri didn’t exist anymore — hasn’t existed for five years. Instead, he is now living in Manhattan as Nakamura Yuuri. A man with no past, no family, nothing. Katsuki Yūri’s family is still back in Japan, not knowing where he was, whether he was alive or dead, and the guilt continues to eat at him day after day. Yuuri often wonders if he should stop hiding and turn himself in. At the very least he then could give his family some closure. However, the thought of what would happen if he went through with it terrifies him. V1rg0 only received four years, due to only being seventeen, and is now supposedly out. _Free_. Because Yuuri was eighteen at the time, he’s looking at twenty years, maybe more now since he ran. As sorry as he is that V1rg0 got caught and had to serve time, their record will remain sealed and any other consequences should be minimal — except for the physical and mental effects of course. Yuuri can’t swallow the fact that he’d have to serve almost half his life behind bars, only for being one year older. No, he just can’t bring himself to do it. At least V1rg0 now has a chance at moving on with their life, which makes Yuuri’s decision easier to live with, if only slightly.    

 

Yuuri squeezes his eyes shut and tries to let the darkness overtake him once again.

 

— — — —

 

Yuuri drags himself to the cafe down the block later that morning in desperate need of coffee. He’d finally fallen back to sleep but it was anything but restful. Giving up on the tossing and turning a short time after sunrise, he had forced himself to get up and take Vicchan on an early morning walk. Before he has to head into to work, he decides caffeine is a necessity to get through the day and stops off at his favorite coffee shop.

 

Yuuri walks in, most certainly looking like death warmed over in his rumpled t-shirt, jeans and bedhead. The cafe is warm and welcoming; the barista taking his order too cheerful at that time in the morning to be human. As Yuuri waits at the counter for his drink, he feels the hairs on his neck stand up, sensing someone staring at him. As nonchalantly as possible he glances around until he locks eyes with brilliant ocean blue ones, and suddenly it’s as if the all the air has been knocked out of his lungs. _He’s here, oh my god he’s here today_.  

 

The ‘he’ is Yuuri’s secret crush — a gorgeous man named Victor who has been frequenting the cafe for the past few months, seeming to be there just as often as Yuuri, always sitting in the corner table typing on a laptop. Based on the amount of typing he does, Yuuri believes him to most likely be a journalist or writer, but isn’t sure since he’s always too nervous to actually talk to him. He only learned Victor’s name from hearing the barista call out his order. Yuuri usually tries to look busy on his own laptop or phone, but can never help sneak an occasional glance. Sometimes he catches Victor looking back, but each time Yuuri nervously averts his eyes, cursing himself for not having the courage to just say hi.   

 

Today, however, it seems that Victor is the one to finally break their pattern of avoidance. The minute he sees Yuuri returning his gaze, he gives him a wide grin, so bright and full of life that it almost looks like a heart, and waves enthusiastically. Yuuri, forever doubting that good things can happen to him, glances around in confusion, positive that Victor is waving to someone else, but no one else is paying any attention, nor standing near Yuuri. He looks back and smiles shyly, giving a small hesitant wave, which only makes Victor’s smile grow impossibly wider. He then gestures for Yuuri to come over. Yuuri feels himself starting to blush, but quickly nods and hold up a finger indicating to give him a moment, turning back to wait for his drink while quickly trying to smooth down his messy hair. He wishes the barista would hurry it up because the longer he has to wait, the more likely he’s going to lose his nerve and just bolt out of the cafe and never ever come back. Yuuri’s run away before… he knows how to do it well.

 

Apparently the barista must sense his internal panic however, because Yuuri’s drink is done only a moment later, so he now has no excuse not to see what Victor could possibly want. Nervously he approaches Victor’s table, stopping to stand about a foot away, fiddling with the cardboard sleeve of his coffee cup.

 

“H-hi.” _Smooth Yuuri, real smooth_.

 

Victor is still giving him a blinding smile as he holds out his hand. “Hi there! Yuri right? I’m Victor.”

 

“I-I know! Um, I mean yeah… I’m Yuuri, but with two u’s.” Yuuri takes the offered hand and Victor shakes it firmly, although his grip is gentle. He notices that Victor’s skin is soft and warm, which immediately makes him hope his own hands don’t feel too clammy and gross.

 

“ _Yuuri_. Like that?” Yuuri tries to repress a shiver at the sound of his name flowing from Victor’s lips, and manages a small nod as he reluctantly pulls his hand away.

 

Victor looks pleased as he continues, “I hope you can excuse my forwardness, but it’s just that I’ve heard them call out your name before. I promise I’m not really some creep.” Victor chuckles lightly. “Would you like to join me? I-If you have time, that is.” Yuuri detects a bit of nervousness in Victor’s voice, but still finds it hard to believe it would be because of him.

 

“Thanks. Um, sure.” Yuuri sits down in the seat across from Victor, trying to relax a bit and not look too stiff. “And don’t worry, I don’t think that at all. If I did, then I would be just as creepy, since it’s how I already knew your name too.” He gives what he hopes is a reassuring smile.

 

Victor actually looks a bit surprised, but happy that Yuuri actually took him up on his offer, and rubs the back of his neck. “I uh… so I’ll just go ahead and say it then I guess. I’ve noticed you here a lot, and always wanted to say hello, but each time I worked myself up to try and get your attention, you would look away, and I’d just lose my nerve again. I first thought that maybe I _was_ acting like a creep and that you didn’t want to talk to me, but you never really seemed upset or uncomfortable...” Victor trails off for a moment and shrugs.

 

“... so I kept hoping that I’d eventually get a chance to talk to you. It’s just taken me a bit of time to work up the courage.”

 

There’s an adorable pink blush spreading across Victor’s nose and cheeks, and Yuuri is in shock. Victor has been wanting to talk to _him_ , and has been too nervous to do so? If Yuuri didn’t know better, he would think he was on some kind of hidden camera show.

 

“Oh, I just… _wow_.” Yuuri mumbles. He looks down at the table and takes a deep breath. “Well I’m glad that you finally did. Lord knows I’m way too nervous myself to have said hello first.” Yuuri glances up and gives Victor a shy sideways smile.

 

Victor beams at him. “Really?! I’m glad I finally decided to stop being so silly then. So Yuuri, it’s nice to officially meet you. As you already know, I’m Victor. I’m a writer and a bit new to the neighborhood, been living here only a few months. Besides writing, I love reading, coffee, and my best girl, my poodle Makkachin.”

 

Yuuri can’t help but giggle at the man’s excited rambling, but then his mind registers the last thing he said. “You have a poodle?! I have a poodle too! His name is Vicchan.”

 

“You do?” Victor breathes. “Wow that’s amazing! Do you have pictures of him? Here, let me show you my Makka.” Victor quickly taps on his phone that’s sitting on the table, then turns it towards Yuuri. On the screen is beautiful brown standard poodle.

 

“She’s gorgeous! Oh I love her already Victor!” Before taking Victor’s phone to look through the photos, he quickly brings up the folder of Vicchan pictures on his own phone and hands it over.

 

Victor squeals in delight. “Oh my, he’s just precious! Is he a toy poodle? Yuuri, he is just the cutest thing ever!” Yuuri thinks he might pass out from _Victor_ actually being the cutest thing ever right now.

 

They both go through their galleries, laughing and talking enthusiastically about their beloved companions, and Yuuri is just a bit dumbfounded over how easy it is to talk to Victor, how sweet and adorable the man is. He knows he’s in trouble now, as his little crush is quickly turning into a very big crush, finding himself wanting more of Victor’s attention and beautiful smiles with each passing minute.

 

“So Yuuri, I just realized I never asked, what it is you do?” Yuuri looks up from Victor’s phone at the question, handing it to him as he takes back his own.

 

“Oh that’s alright, we got a little carried away there for a moment. I work in… um, I guess you can say, security technology.”

 

Victor looks at him quizzically. “As in security systems?”

 

“Yeah. Well sort of. I run a team that does something called penetration testing.” Victor is still looking a bit confused, so Yuuri continues. “We are hired by companies to hack into their security systems, computer systems, databases and such, to look for issues and gaps.”

 

“ _Wow_. That’s just… that’s so cool Yuuri! How did you get into something like that?”

 

Yuuri feels the heat begin to rise up his neck and he ducks his head, smiling shyly. “Thanks. I enjoy the work. I uh… I guess I just always had a knack for working with computers. I had heard about penetration testing while in school. It sounded so interesting and something that I might be good at. After school I started working with a few other teams, but then eventually decided to start my own company. I had met some people who were experts in various specialities that I needed on the team, and it all just came together somehow.”

 

As if right on cue, Yuuri’s phone suddenly light up with an incoming message. He glances down and sees it’s from Minako, requesting his presence as soon as possible. That was the only downside to this type of work — no set schedule. They took jobs when they came and usually had to work odd hours, especially when breaking into a place to test an alarm system.

 

Sighing Yuuri looks back at Victor apologetically. “Speaking of work, unfortunately it seems that they need me at the office. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to head out.” Yuuri really _really_ wishes he could stay and talk more with Victor, but maybe it’s better this way. In just a short time he can already feel himself falling and for Yuuri that’s terrifying. He doesn’t allow anyone to get too close because… well, it’s just not safe.

 

Victor gives him a look of understanding and nods. “That’s okay, duty calls right? I really should get back to trying to finish up this chapter anyway. But hey Yuuri, do you think… would you like to maybe get dinner with me sometime?”

 

Is Victor is asking Yuuri out? Oh crap, was this really happening? _Okay Yuuri, don’t panic. Whatever you do, just don’t panic_ . _You probably shouldn’t, it’s just too risky to let yourself get too close —_  

 

“S-sure! I’d love to!” Yuuri’s mouth betrays him, and he winces slightly at how high-pitched his voice sounds. _So much for not panicking and listening to your head_.

 

Relief washes over Victor’s face and he smiles softly. “Great! So let’s exchange numbers, that way we can set up a time and place.”

 

Victor hands Yuuri his phone again, this time with a new contact opened, and Yuuri quickly types in his information. Victor then quickly shoots off a text — Yuuri’s phone pings and he sees it’s just a line of purple hearts. His own heart feels like it’s going to swell right out of his chest. Yuuri quickly saves the number and gives Victor a big goofy grin as he stands up.

 

“Alright, so I really have to get going, but I’ll text you later… if that’s alright?”

 

Victor nods and once again gives him a huge beautiful smile, making Yuuri seriously worry about the health of his heart if he’s going to continue to be around this man. “Perfect, I can’t wait to hear from you! I really enjoyed having a chance to talk today Yuuri. I hope you have a good day at work.”

 

With that Yuuri says goodbye and takes his leave. He’s excited to find out what kind of job Minako has lined up for them. Maybe he can use the adrenaline high he usually gets from doing a job to help carry him through actually working up the nerve to text Victor later tonight.  

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Yuuri's team.

Yuuri practically skips into the office, a bright and open loft in SoHo, throwing his backpack onto the worn leather rolling chair next to his desk and grabbing a pad and pen before heading into the conference room where the rest of the team is already assembled.

 

“Hey guys! How's it going?” Yuuri gives them a big smile. “So what’s the job?” He directs to Minako as he slides into his seat at the head of the table.

 

He’s met with silence and four sets of raised eyebrows.

 

“W-What’s wrong?” Yuuri looks around the table in confusion.

 

“My, my aren’t we more chipper than usual this morning. Did you do something fun last night… or perhaps you had fun doing _someone_?” Christophe Giacometti, the electronics expert, waggles his eyebrows and gives Yuuri a knowing smirk.

 

Yuuri feels his cheeks start to burn, and he waves his hands dismissively. “No! No, of course not. You know I don’t date… usually.” Yuuri mumbles the last part as thoughts of Victor flash through his mind. “If you must know, I actually didn’t sleep too well last night so I stopped at the coffee shop first. It’s probably the caffeine high.”

 

“Oh, well now that makes sense. I think what you mean is that your eyes took in a drink of Mr. Tall, Silver and Gorgeous again.” Minako Okukawa, Operations Manager and in charge of reconnaissance, huffs out a laugh as she slides a file down the table towards Yuuri.

 

A chorus of ooh’s and aah’s fill the room, and Yuuri ducks his head. “That’s not… gah, just nevermind alright? Sure, maybe I did see him… and his name’s Victor by the way.” He shoots Minako a glare, who only responds with a chuckle. “So sue me for being in a good mood. Can we just get down to business?”

 

Groaning in disappointment, they all concede with a nod and turn towards the seventy inch television monitor mounted on the wall. Minako presses a button on her laptop and a picture of an modern looking black glass building pops up.

 

“Kamome National Bank, downtown headquarters on Liberty Street. They just upgraded their systems and have hired a new security firm, so they want us to test that it’s all up to par.” Minako clicks through the information, showing the team all the details.

 

“Which rent-a-cops did they hire?” Christophe huffs, reclining back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table. “Please don’t tell me it’s Tri-Star… they’re such a joke.”

 

Minako looks through her file, then shakes her head and laughs. “Sorry, but you’ve guessed it.”

 

“Damn, and here I was hoping for a challenge. Maybe they’ll have that hottie Masumi on duty at least. He’s always been easy on the eyes.”

 

Yuuri balls up a sheet of paper and throws it at him. “Hey! The job is no place for flirting and looking for hookups!”

 

“Oh now come on mon cher, you know there’s been many times when my flirting has helped us out of a jam. Besides, aren’t _you_ one to talk? You’re in the lead for the number of successful attempts at charming your way through a sticky situation. What was the name of that last one again? The guy you turned your big puppy dog eyes on and sweet-talked into giving us access to Aria’s corporate offices?” Chris snaps his fingers a few times, trying to remember.

 

Yuuri’s face heats up again and he looks down, fiddling with his pen. “I-I don’t remember… Chad or Brad, or... something like that.”

 

Otabek Altin, the sound engineer, huffs out a laugh. A small, almost indiscernible smile appears on his usually stoic face. “That’s pretty harsh man. The guy’s still probably staring at his phone every two minutes, holding onto hope you’ll call.”  

 

“I seriously doubt that.” Yuuri mumbles, then clears his throat to get back to business. “Can we move on please? So we know what to expect from Tri-Star. This almost feels like cheating, honestly. Kamome would’ve been better off having asked us for references, but too late for that. So what about the systems, have you looked into those yet?”

 

Phichit Chulanont, a young computer genius that Yuuri recruited after working a job for a university and catching him hacking into the school’s database to change a friend’s grades, speaks up with bubbling enthusiasm.

 

“Way ahead of you boss! They have a real doozy for intrusion detection, it’s gonna be super fun! They’ve got the new Lohengrin Legacy alarm, with sensors wired to every window and door, of course, as well as the vault. The place is also equipped with high-sensitivity motion detection cameras, with the feeds all centralized at the security post off the lobby, but I don’t think it should be much of an issue for Chris to figure out. The internal account systems utilize both symmetric and public-key encryption algorithms, pretty standard, so should be a piece of cake for the two of us to access.”

 

Yuuri can’t help but laugh at his protégés excitement. “Great job Phichit. You and I will get to work on checking out the encryption after the meeting, and you can show me all the info you’ve pulled so far. Do they just want internal banking systems — what about cyber security? If I remember correctly, we already ran a check for them about six months ago?”

 

Minako shakes her head. “They haven’t updated cyber since then, so they’re good for now. Just intrusion, emergency, and internal systems.”

 

“Alright, sounds easy enough. Minako, I’ll need you and Chris to start digging into the alarms and security monitors. You know the drill — find us the weak spots we can manipulate. What about emergency response?”

 

“Got it covered. I'm actually thinking that we can use it to our advantage for building entry, but I’ll need Chris's expertise in doing some of the ground work with me beforehand.” Otabek offers.

 

“No problem. You know how much I love getting down and dirty.” Chris throws Otabek a wink, who just rolls his eyes.

 

Yuuri claps his hands together. “Great! We all know what we’re doing then. What’s our timing?”

 

Minako glances at her laptop again, clicking through a few screens until she pulls up the team’s standard job request form, filled out after discussion with the client. “Kamome is hoping for an answer by the end of the week at the latest, so I think it’s best if we try to get this done in four days. Let’s aim for Thursday night. Does that work?”

 

She receives a round of nods in agreement, and with that the meeting concludes, the team dispersing to begin work on their individual assignments. Yuuri smiles as he heads back to his desk, excited for the new challenge — this is what he lives for after all.

 

* * *

 

_Laughter fills the room, bright and cheerful._

 

_“Read ‘em and weep boys, a royal flush!” V1rg0 lays the cards across the table and sweeps up all the chips while the rest of the players groan in frustration._

 

_“How did you do that? I was sure you were bluffing that time!” Katsu shakes his head in disbelief._

 

_V1rg0 just laughs again and shrugs. “My dad is an amazing card player and taught me all his tricks. But maybe if you ask nicely, I’ll give you some tips. At least that way it’ll be more fun if you can actually be a challenge for me. Now can you please pass me another slice?”_

 

_Katsu huffs in frustration, standing to grab the pizza box, but before he can turn back around, the door to his dorm room is suddenly kicked open and police officers burst in, guns raised._

 

_“Alright everybody down, NOW!”_

 

_The room erupts into chaos, everyone screaming and dropping to the ground. An officer knocks the pizza box out of Katsu’s hands and he’s jerked down to his knees and handcuffed._

 

_Looking up he sees his friends in the same position, except for V1rg0, who is being dragged, kicking and screaming, out the door. Their eyes meet, V1rg0’s pleading and shining with tears._

 

_“Katsu! Don’t let them take me! Yūri! Help me, PLEASE!”_

 

_“NO!!” Katsu can’t move, is powerless to do anything but watch as V1rg0 is pulled through the door and out of view. All the sounds around him drown out as V1rg0’s screams echoing down the hall are the only thing he can hear above the din._

 

_“Yūri! Yūri! Help me please, Yūri-_

 

_…”_

 

“Yuuri…”

 

“Yuuri…”

 

“Hey, wake up.” Yuuri stirs to someone shaking him and he blearily opens his eyes.

 

“V1rg0? Is that you?” He mumbles as he squints against the dim light, trying to focus on where he is.

 

“No darling, it’s Chris. Who’s _Virgo_ … is that what you call your new boyfriend in the bedroom?”

 

Yuuri bolts upright in the seat he’s been slouching in. He scrubs at his eyes and realizes he’s in the back of the company van, not a dorm room. Chris is standing above him with a cheshire grin on his face.

 

Dammit, another nightmare. Now Yuuri’s memories of his friend are all starting to blur together. The fun times they had are now becoming more and more tainted.

 

“Huh? Wha- no… Sorry, I must have dozed off. What’s going on?” Yuuri cracks his neck and glances past Chris, seeing Otabek sitting at the control panel setup and Minako standing behind him, both giving Yuuri curious looks.

 

Chris raises an eyebrow questioningly as well, but luckily doesn’t push any further. “It's 11:15 and the night shift just clocked in fifteen minutes ago. Otabek is ready, so I’m heading out. Phichit just left to secure your point of entry.”

 

Yuuri gives him a single nod and picks up his earpiece that’s sitting on the counter next to him. “Alright, good. Go on then. We’ll be listening in.”

 

Once Chris is stationed underground in the cable vault, Otabek listens to the sounds as he starts moving through the trunks. Minako and Yuuri watch the other monitors positioned above Otabek’s head, keeping an eye on the security guard through video feed provided by a tiny hidden camera Chris was able to stash the afternoon prior. Lucky for them, Masumi was on duty, and his _appreciation_ of Christophe definitely worked well to provide enough of a distraction.

 

“Move to the next one Chris. That’s not it.” Otabek speaks into his headset. “Nope. Is there a blue one next to that? Give that one a try.”

 

“So how is your boyfriend doing anyway? Have you two spoken more since the other day? You know, when you finally pulled your head out of your ass and actually had a conversation with your dream man?” Minako nudges Yuuri and gives him a knowing smirk.

 

Yuuri sighs, wishing he never told her about his encounter with Victor at the coffee shop. “We’ve been texting. He wants to go to dinner on Saturday, and I stupidly agreed. But he’s _not_ my boyfriend. You know I don’t... I don’t do boyfriends.”

 

“Yuuri… you actually like this guy though. I think you can allow yourself a little happiness. There’s no reason why—”

 

“Yes there is, and you know exactly why! I can’t let—” Yuuri drops his voice, despite Otabek wearing headphones and not paying them any attention. “It’s too risky, even as much as I _want_ to date him. I… I just can't let myself get in too deep.”

 

Minako gives him a sympathetic look and places a hand on his shoulder. “I know kiddo, I know. But… you’ve been safe so far and you shouldn’t have to keep denying yourself. I just think if you really like this guy, then there’s no harm in seeing where it goes. What’s one date? It’s not like you have to spill your whole life story over appetizers either. Everyone has secrets, remember. Even those we keep from the ones we love.”

 

Yuuri averts his eyes, not knowing what to say to that because deep down he knows Minako is right. She knows all about keeping secrets herself, after all. An ex-CIA agent, released from duty for reasons Yuuri doesn’t know nor care to push for details on. Minako still has government connections however, and figuring out Yuuri’s past played a part in getting him to hire her — as well as eventually trusting her as the only one to knows who he really is.

 

Therein lies the problem however — Yuuri doesn’t trust anyone completely. The chance of getting caught is a constant dark cloud hanging over him, and why he doesn't pursue a relationship. He never allows anyone to get past being a casual one-night stand — never risks someone getting too close. But now even after one conversation and a few days of texting with Victor, Yuuri can already feel himself falling. Talking to Victor is comfortable and easy — effortless — surprising considering how nervous Yuuri was at first. He doesn’t feel this much at ease with anyone, and definitely not so quickly, so he’s certain that if things continue this way then he’d never be able to bring himself to end things after only one date.

 

“Wait Chris, go back one.” Otabek's voice breaks through Yuuri’s thoughts. Carefully listening for a minute, Otabek then suddenly sits up straight and lightly punches the air. “Gotcha. That’s the one Chris, go ahead and secure the bridge clips.”

 

Chris’ voice comes through their earpieces. “Done. Now I’m preparing to sever the master alarm circuit. Let me know when I’m clear.”

 

Yuuri takes another look at the monitor and notices the security guard dozing off at the desk. “You’re good to go, do it now Chris.” A light on the security panel behind the guard briefly flashes red before turning back to green.

 

“Ok Yuuri, you’re all set. You and Phichit can go party.” Chris confirms with a chuckle.

 

Yuuri grabs his black jacket and knit hat, then throws a smirk back at Otabek and Minako before jumping out of the van.

 

“Alright team… let's rob a bank.”

 

— — — —

 

**_*11:54 p.m - Outside Kamome National Bank*_ **

 

Yuuri jogs down the block, pulling on his cap as he rounds the building towards the fire escape where Phichit is waiting. Once up the ladder he finds him standing next to the emergency exit.

 

“Hey there, you ready to go?”

 

Phichit gives him a thumbs up and holds out a small device with a single button, no bigger than car key fob. “All set! Would you like to do the honors since it’s your safety deposit box we're destroying?”

 

Yuuri gives him a half smile and takes the device out of Phichit’s hand. “You’d think it would be easy enough to rent one. The amount of paperwork I had to provide was unreal.” Yuuri presses a hand to his ear and speaks into his earpiece. “Ok Otabek, I’m here. Are you ready?”

 

Otabek’s voice rings through the tiny device concealed within his ear. “All good… ready when you are sir.”

 

Yuuri looks at his watch to note the time, watching as the second hand ticks closer to midnight. “And in 3...2...1. Here we go.”

 

Yuuri takes a deep breath and pushes the button, which if it does it’s job correctly, will set off the smoke bomb Yuuri planted inside the safety deposit box this morning.

 

Yuuri and Phichit wait with bated breath, when not thirty seconds later, the fire alarm goes off and the latch to the emergency exit unlocks, giving them access to the building. So far their expectancy of a fire alarm trumping a break-in to ensure occupants can escape safely is right on point.

 

Based on their stakeout of the building, the fuse boxes for the alarms should be located in the mechanical room, just down the stairwell to their right. After flirting his way past Masumi, Chris was able to plant a scrambler to rig the motion detection cameras throughout the building so as to not pick up their movements. However, the security guard should now be on alert and calling in the alarm. Yuuri and Phichit only have about sixty seconds to make this work.

 

**_*12:00:30 a.m. - Security Control Room - Main Floor, located off lobby*_ **

 

The security guard wakes and bolts up in his chair at the sound of the alarm, practically tipping out of it and onto the floor. Checking the switchboard, he sees it's the fire alarm going off.

 

“Crap, what's happening?!” He scrambles and looks through the printed directory for the number to call it in. He dials and runs a hand through his hair as he waits for an answer, tempted to just go straight to calling the fire department so he can bolt out of there, instead of following protocol.

 

“Tri-Star monitoring, what's your situation?” A deep voice comes over the line.

 

“This is Kenjiro Minami at Kamome National Bank on Liberty. A fire alarm is going off! I think we’re on fire!”

 

“Yes, we just received the alarm. Kamome has been having a couple false alarms since they installed the new system. Any secondary indications, such as smoke or flames?”

 

Kenjiro looks around, glancing at the security monitors. “Uh… umm, no. I don’t see or smell anything.”

 

“Can you look at the board at tell me the location of the incident?”

 

“Uhh… it's the… oh! It’s coming from the safety deposit room. Wow, that's weird. Why would that be on fire?”

 

“Ok, sounds like it’s probably just a loose connection. It's been happening like I said. Let’s see if it resets itself in a moment.”

 

**_*12:00:58 a.m. - Mechanical Room - Main Floor, back corner*_ **

 

Phichit runs down the stairs and skids to a stop in front of the door to the mechanical room, Yuuri right on his heels. Ducking into the room, Phichit starts flinging open the panels to find the one for the fire alarm. Finding the correct one, he quickly pulls his wire cutters out of the utility vest he’s wearing.

 

“You remember which wire to cut?” Yuuri calls out over the blaring alarm.

 

“Yup! It’s the green one… it’s always the green one!” Snipping the wire, they are suddenly plunged into darkness as the security lights all go out.

 

“Good job, Phichit.” Yuuri deadpans as he pulls out his flashlight and shines it on the panel.

 

“Sorry, that was the wrong green one.” Phichit gives him a sheepish smile, then tries again.

 

**_*12:00:58 a.m. - Security Control Room*_ **

 

“I really don’t know sir, it’s not turning off. I think I’m gonna call it into the fire department. I don’t want to burn to a crisp in here!”

 

“It’s alright son, just calm down and give it another couple seconds.”

 

“Sir, I _really_ should call. It’s so loud in here and-”

 

The alarm suddenly turns off. Kenjiro looks at the monitors, and all still seems quiet and well, still no smell of smoke. He huffs out a laugh in relief and plops back down in his chair. “O-Oh… it stopped, haha. Looks like you were right. I’m sorry about that.”

 

“No problem at all…”

 

**_*12:01:09 a.m. - Inside the van*_ **

 

“... you did good kid. Real good.” Otabek smiles slyly to himself.

 

“Thank you sir, I appreciate it!”

 

Otabek disconnects and gives Minako a high five before informing the others. “Alright guys… we’re all clear with security.”

 

**_*12:03 a.m. - Bank Teller Terminals - Main Floor*_ **

 

Yuuri sits down at the first computer terminal bay and cracks his knuckles, Phichit hovering over his shoulder and practically vibrating with excitement.

 

“Ok Boss, time to work your magic. How much are you gonna take?”

 

— — — —

 

“Here’s your cashier’s check for $200,000 Mr. Nakamura. If I may ask, why are closing your account with us today?”

 

Yuuri, wearing a slim fit, single-breasted navy suit and slicked back hair, gives the teller his best charming smile as he takes the check. “I just got a feeling that I needed to change where I keep my money… it just really doesn’t feel safe here anymore honestly.”

 

“Oh, well we’re sorry you feel that way and that you’ve decided to leave, but thank you for your patronage.”

 

Yuuri flashes her another smile and takes his leave. Meeting Minako by the main staircase, they both head up to offices on the second floor, where the clients are waiting for their report.

 

“Hello everyone,” Yuuri begins as he walks in and places the cashier’s check down in front of the bank’s general manager. “You have vulnerabilities in your communication lines and video surveillance, the fire exits need to be monitored, and the rent-a-cops are under-trained and a bit wet behind the ears. We’ll provide you with a full written report, including our recommendations on how to remedy the issues, by early next week.”

  
  
Yuuri takes in the sea of dumbstruck faces and shoots Minako a smirk before addressing the manager again. “So if there are no questions at this time, who do we see about our payment?”

 

* * *

 

Yuuri returns home later that evening, feeling good over the success of the job. Although disappointed in all the security gaps, the clients were extremely pleased and grateful for their efforts, and Yuuri feels a huge sense of accomplishment and pride in how his team delivered. The fee received for a job this size was not too shabby either.

 

Scooping up Vicchan to receive his doggy kisses, Yuuri flops onto the couch and lets his poodle curl up on his chest. With heavy eyelids, he allows himself to start to doze off, even though he knows he should get up and remove his contacts and change out of his suit first. He reasons that he'll just take a short nap before making dinner. Just as his eyes shut however, the buzzing of his phone startles him. Shifting around, trying not to jostle Vicchan too much, he fishes the phone out of his pocket and looks at the screen. A big smile immediately spreads across his face as he sees that it’s a message from Victor, checking whether Yuuri was still good for dinner the next night. Despite all his instincts screaming at him to cancel — to make up an excuse, any excuse — Yuuri just can’t bring himself to say no. He can't deny how much he really wants to go on this date and see Victor again.

 

He thinks back to yesterday's conversation with Minako; maybe it is time for Yuuri to allow some happiness back into his life, despite how guilty he feels for doing so. He’s already paying the price for running — forever being a fugitive with no home, no identity, and never being able to see his family again. Can he ever feel comfortable enough to let someone in though? He’s just not sure if he’s ready to let down his heavily-guarded walls and show Victor the scared young boy that hides deep inside. To learn to trust Victor enough to not turn him in, or run and abandon him, wanting no part of Yuuri’s criminal past.

 

It’s only dinner, Yuuri reminds himself. He shouldn’t think too much and just go have fun. Before Yuuri can talk himself out of it, he quickly sends a text back to let Victor know that they’re still on and that he’s looking forward to it. He knows it would be crazy to pass up the chance to get to know the sweetest and most beautiful man he’s ever met. Really, what’s the worst that can happen from going on just one date?  

 

_Losing everything he's worked hard for these past five years for starters..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the thanks to ajwolf for the beta and support!! <3
> 
> Come say hi, I’m Zupsgirl1 on [Tumblr](http://Zupsgirl1.tumblr.com), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JustUsThreeZs?lang=en), [Dreamwidth](https://zupsgirl-1.dreamwidth.org/), and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/Zupsgirl1)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night for Yuuri and Victor!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the amazing comments and kudos!! I'm really excited for this fic and have been having so much fun writing it, so I'm happy to have people enjoying it so far!
> 
> I promise that I am currently in the middle of working on the next chapter of "It's Inconceivable: Victor in Tights", but I got a burst of inspiration for this chapter and just had to go with it. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to ajwolf for the beta and constant support! <3

Saturday arrives, and despite Yuuri’s warring excitement and trepidation over his upcoming date with Victor, he managed to get a fairly good night’s sleep for once. His nervousness ebbs and flows throughout the day so he busies himself the best he can until it’s time to get ready and head to Victor’s apartment with Vicchan. Victor invited him over for dinner with the thought that they could introduce the pups to each other. Yuuri agreed immediately, excited to see Victor's beautiful poodle and for Vicchan to gain a playmate — if things between Yuuri and Victor work out favorably at least.

 

Yuuri shows up to the address Victor texted him earlier and presses the button next to the apartment number. Victor's voice crackles over the speaker.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, it's me… Yuuri.”

 

“Hi, Yuuri! Come on up, fourth floor.” The door buzzes and Yuuri leads Vicchan inside.

 

The whole way up he tries to calm his anxious thoughts, reminding himself that this is only dinner. Dinner in the apartment of a gorgeous and sexy man who Yuuri has been crushing on for months, no big deal _at all_.

 

Reaching Victor's floor, Yuuri stops at the top of the stairwell to let both himself and Vicchan catch their breath (walk-ups are the _worst_ ), then enters the hallway. He spots the correct apartment right away — it’s the one with the already open door and Victor leaning against the doorjamb, holding onto the collar of who must be Makkachin. His face breaks out into a wide smile upon seeing Yuuri, his mouth looking adorably heart-shaped, and starts waving enthusiastically.

 

“Hi Yuuri! Hi Vicchan!”

 

Vicchan immediately begins pulling on the leash, obviously wanting to greet his new friends, making Yuuri laugh at the cuteness. They stop in front of the door and Yuuri gives Victor a shy smile.

 

“Hey there.”

 

“Hi,” Victor breathes, eyes sparkling. Victor tentatively reaches out towards Yuuri, but pulls his hand back to fiddle with the hem of his shirt, seeming unsure of what to do. Yuuri considers him for a moment, before moving forward and holding his arm out for a hug, which Victor quickly steps into. They embrace for a moment, a bit awkwardly due to having to keep hold of the dogs. Victor feels warm and Yuuri inhales his scent, a mix of his shampoo and cologne, and feels a bit dizzy with how delicious he smells.

 

As they end the hug, much too soon in Yuuri’s opinion, Victor glances down at Vicchan, who is already sniffing around Makkachin. “Oh Yuuri, how cute and tiny!” He then bends down to pet Vicchan’s head. “Hi buddy, it’s nice to meet you. This is Makkachin, I hope you get to become good friends.”

 

Yuuri reaches down and gives Makkachin a few scratches behind her ears, smiling at the way the two poodles already seem to like one another, Makkachin trying to lick Vicchan’s head as he bounces around her feet.

 

“Makka, why don’t we let these two handsome men come in?” Victor says, giving Yuuri a wink when he looks up to meet Victor’s eyes. Yuuri smiles and ducks his head, blush blooming on his cheeks.

 

Victor steps into the apartment, gently pulling Makkachin with him, and holds the door for Yuuri and Vicchan to follow. The apartment is modern in decoration, soft light gray and navy tones throughout the open plan kitchen, dining room and living room. Yuuri notices a large bookcase against one wall, filled to the brim with books, ones that don’t fit laying wherever there’s space, on top of other books, piled in front. Despite the rather minimal decor, it still feels comfortable and warm. Yuuri notices a delicious aroma filling the air, and glancing into the kitchen he sees pots set out on the stove. He gives Victor a curious look.

 

“You’re cooking?”

 

“Of course I am! What, did you think I was going to order takeout? How in the world can I impress you with that?” Victor chuckles, but he’s blushing sweetly along his nose.

 

“But you’ve already impressed me.” The words are out of Yuuri’s mouth before he can think. As he realizes what he said, he quickly looks away and bends down to undo Vicchan’s leash. The poodle bounces away to explore, Makkachin following closely behind.

 

When Yuuri straightens up he sees that Victor is just looking at him with a fond smile. However, he seems to take mercy on Yuuri’s heart and turns to head back into the kitchen. Unsure of what to do, Yuuri follows and leans against the breakfast bar that separates the rooms, taking a moment to enjoy the view of Victor moving around the kitchen, preparing their dinner.

 

“Do you need any help?”

 

“No, no. I’m actually almost done, should only be a few more minutes. Can I get you a drink?” Victor heads over to the fridge and peeks in. “I have water, juice, beer. There’s also some wine and harder stuff over on the bar.” He motions to a small buffet set against the wall, next to the table.

 

“I’m ok for now, thanks. Maybe some wine with dinner.” Victor nods and closes the fridge, turning back to tend to the food on the stove. “So, what’re we having?”

 

Victor takes a lid off a small pot and stirs the contents a couple times, then flashes Yuuri a small smile. “I hope you like spaghetti, sausage and meatballs.”

 

Yuuri bursts out laughing. “Sure, of course. Who doesn’t? I just thought that maybe you would be making something… Russian. I-is that right?”

 

Victor smiles and nods, turning back to the stove. “Yes, you’re correct. Honestly, I thought about it but wasn’t sure if you’d be open to having borscht, so I figured I’d go with something simple.”

 

“So what you’re saying then is that spaghetti is the way to a man’s heart?” Victor glances over and Yuuri waggles his eyebrows a bit, making him giggle. Yuuri could definitely get used to that lovely sound.

 

“Hey, I’ll have you know that I made the meatballs from scratch. So yes, my plan is to seduce you with my meatballs.” Victor shoots him a wicked smirk, causing a warm feeling to spread through Yuuri’s stomach and make his heart beat a little faster.

 

“Just your meatballs? You mean you didn't stuff the sausage yourself?” Yuuri snaps his mouth shut, feeling a little embarrassed over his boldness. He's not usually this confident with men. Well, except for when he's on the job, but that's different. Victor is different.

 

Victor laughs, but Yuuri averts his eyes, the tips of his ears on fire, looking over to see on what the pups were doing. They're happily playing tug of war with a rope toy. He glances back to see Victor opening the oven, bending over and giving Yuuri a perfect view of his fantastic backside, making Yuuri wonder just how good it must look when not covered by pants. He quickly tries to quash those thoughts, because clearly, it’s too soon for that. They only just met, and Yuuri doesn’t want this to be just another fling.

 

_Dammit, get ahold of yourself… you’re never going to make it through dinner at this rate._

 

— — — —

 

Dinner was delicious — Victor proving himself to be quite the cook — the meatballs indeed tasty which Yuuri makes sure to tell Victor with moans of approval around his fork. Conversation flows easily, to Yuuri’s delight, since he had been nervous that they wouldn’t be able to keep up the rapport they had that first day at the cafe and through their subsequent text conversations. Yuuri tells Victor a little more about his job, keeping any confidential details to himself of course, and Victor listens with rapt attention. Yuuri isn’t used to anyone being so interested in what he had to say and as well as wanting to share so much, but it's nice to feel like Victor cares. Yuuri finds himself not shying away from opening up for once.

 

When Victor questions the origin of Vicchan’s name Yuuri finds himself tensing up — he had completely forgotten the coincidence of his dog having the same name as the man he was currently on a date with. He looks down at his plate, moving his food around a bit.

 

“Umm… that’s a funny story. Vicchan is actually named… Victor. His full name is Victor, and the -chan is a Japanese honorific, one used with close friends and family.” Yuuri can feel his face heat up. “B-but he wasn’t named after you or anything, haha!”

 

Victor gives him a beaming smile. “Of course not, I know that silly! You’ve had him longer than you’ve known me. But I must say that I’m very honored to share a name with someone that’s so dear to you.”

 

Yuuri ducks his head but smiles to himself. Victor continues, “So did you just like the name Victor? Or is he named after another boyfriend… ex-boyfriend, I should hope?”

 

Yuuri’s head snaps up. “NO! No, of course not. Actually, he’s named after Victoria Gotti, to be completely honest.”

 

“ _Gotti_ … as in the Gambino crime family?” Victor’s eyes widen in surprise, and Yuuri lets out a giggle.

 

“Yeah, the one and only. She’s the daughter of John Gotti, became pretty famous in her own right for doing a reality show and writing some books. She hired us to check into a new security system she had installed. We found a couple issues to correct, and she was so grateful that when her own poodle had puppies, she gifted one to me. When first meeting her, we had bonded a bit over our love of dogs, so I named my puppy Victor in her honor.” Yuuri looks down at Vicchan with an affectionate smile, who is curled up with Makkachin against their feet.

 

Bringing his attention back to Victor, Yuuri softly gasps when he sees the look Victor is giving him — a small, kind smile, and eyes full of something that Yuuri can’t quite place. It might be affection, but the darkness overtaking the blue of his eyes indicates lust. Maybe it’s a combination of both. All Yuuri knows is that he wants to keep making Victor look at him that way.  

 

They finish their meal and Yuuri insists on helping with the dishes despite Victor’s initial protests, before settling in on Victor's large, plush couch with glasses of wine. Makkachin and Vicchan, who had been sharing toys and cuddles throughout the evening, hop up to settle on the loveseat opposite them. The whole situation feels so domestic, and Yuuri can’t remember the last time he felt so calm and at peace.

 

“So Yuuri, I know why you said you got into penetration testing, that you heard about it in school. I’m assuming to you went to college for something technical then, computer science possibly?”

 

Yuuri sucks in a breath, hesitating. He wonders how much he should admit, knowing that he shouldn’t reveal too much about his past. “Umm.. yeah that’s right. That was my major, but I always had a knack with computers — building them, fixing them. I uh…” Yuuri scratches the back of his neck. “I might have even dabbled a little in hacking. Nothing serious of course! Just some playing around. But I enjoy that sort of thing, trying to break codes, so penetration testing just seemed like a natural next step.”

 

Victor is smiling and nodding along. “It’s just _so cool_ Yuuri, I find it extremely interesting. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though, since you’re pretty cool.”

 

Yuuri averts his eyes, sipping his wine so as to try to hide the blush he’s sure is spreading across his face. “N-no, I’m really not I promise. I’m just a nerd that likes to play with toys, that’s all.” He gives Victor a shy glance up through his lashes. “So what about you? Why writing? Oh! Now I feel kind of silly, I realized I never asked what kind of writing it is that you do.”  

 

“Oh that’s fine, don’t worry. I’m sure there’s lots more to learn about each other.” The sexy look Victor gives him sets his insides ablaze, and Yuuri knows his face must be bright red. But before he can respond, Victor continues. “I write fictional novels, all in the suspense genre… you know, detective stories, mysteries.”

 

Yuuri perks up, interested enough that he forgets about being self-conscious. “Oh really? I love those type of books, maybe I’ve read some.”

 

Victor shakes his head. “Everything I’ve written so far has only been published in Russian, so not likely. But I’m actually working on translating the first one so that it can be published here in the US, and hopefully globally after that.”

 

“Is that what you’ve been working on at the cafe?”

 

Victor shrugs. “Sometimes. I’m also working on a new book, and this one is to be published in English first. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about it.”

 

“Oh wow, that’s great Victor! What’s it about? I mean, what’s the mystery?”

 

“It’s a story about espionage. Using codes and ciphers to crack into the enemy’s communication lines. I’ve always enjoyed numbers, besides writing, and I’m pretty good at math, believe or not. So I thought why not put some of my knowledge to good use and create a fun story out of it.” Victor’s eyes suddenly light up and he grabs Yuuri’s hand. “Hey, I just realized that you could probably help me!”

 

“Me? Help you with your book… how?” Yuuri splutters but doesn’t pull out of Victor’s grasp, although his hands start trembling a little. He places the glass down on the table so as to not spill.  

 

“I could really use your computer knowledge, and what you know about coding. You know about this sort of stuff because of your computer and hacking capabilities, right?”

 

Yuuri nods slowly. “Some things, yeah. But I'm not sure how much help I can really be.”

 

Victor puts his own glass down on the coffee table and takes Yuuri’s other hand. “I really wouldn’t need too much information, I don’t have to get too technical. Just enough to make it sound believable. Don’t worry Yuuri, I would never ask for you to divulge all your secrets.” Victor punctuates his last statement with a wink and squeezes Yuuri’s hands.

 

Yuuri swallows thickly. “N-no?”

 

Victor shifts a little closer, making Yuuri’s heart race. “Of course not Yuuri, only what you want to tell me.” He gives Yuuri a heated look. “But I do like you, and would love to know more about you. You’re so interesting and sweet... and I’m _very_ attracted to you.” Victor raises a hand and caresses his thumb along Yuuri’s jawline, stopping and pulling oh so slightly at his bottom lip. Yuuri can’t help the soft gasp that escapes him.

 

“I-I really like you too, Victor. A lot.” Yuuri whispers.

 

Victor’s eyes light up and he moves to cup Yuuri’s cheek. Victor starts to lean forward, looking down at Yuuri’s lips then back up to catch his eyes, asking a silent question. Yuuri licks his lips and moves in, his eyes fluttering shut at the first touch of their lips. At first, the kiss is chaste and sweet, Victor’s soft lips moving gently against Yuuri’s, but then Victor parts his mouth slightly and swipes his tongue along Yuuri’s bottom lip, asking for more. Yuuri opens his mouth and moans as Victor’s hot and silky tongue begins to move and twist around Yuuri’s. The kiss becomes hungrier, more desperate, Victor’s hands moving up to tangle in Yuuri’s hair. They shift their bodies even closer and Yuuri runs his hands along Victor’s firm chest, practically climbing into the man’s lap.

 

As they break apart for air, Victor rests his forehead against Yuuri’s, panting heavily. When he speaks, his voice is rough and gravelly with desire, making Yuuri’s pants become uncomfortably tighter.

 

“Yuuri, would you… would you like to stay tonight? I know it might be too soon, but god Yuuri, I want you so much—”

 

“ _Yes_. Yes, I want to stay. I… Victor, I _want_ you.” Yuuri doesn’t hesitate in answering, knows he wants this more than he’s wanted anything in a long time. He leans in again to steal another kiss.

 

They explore each other’s bodies with lips, teeth, and tongue, hands roaming everywhere. Victor trailing searing kisses all down Yuuri’s neck and collarbone, nipping and sucking, as Yuuri runs his hands through Victor’s soft hair, then dragging them down his back and grabbing his hips. Finally, Victor stops, chuckling softly at Yuuri’s whine of protest, and stands, pulling Yuuri up with him. He pulls Yuuri in so that the full length of their bodies are pressed against each other, both moaning at the friction of their erections rubbing together through the fabric of their pants. Victor gently begins to tug Yuuri towards the bedroom, both still unable to keep their hands off the other, kissing and smiling against each other’s lips as they stumble through the living room and down the hall. Once they reach the door Victor stops and cups Yuuri’s face with both hands.

 

“Are you sure zolotse?” He looks a bit vulnerable at that moment as if he’s unsure this is what Yuuri really wants.

 

Yuuri places his hands over Victor’s and nods empathetically. “I am. Like I said, I _really_ like you, Victor. I want this so much.”

 

The smile that lights up Victor’s face is stunningly beautiful. He entwines their hands together and quickly pulls Yuuri into the bedroom, making a laugh bubble out of him. Yuuri feels so light and happy on top of his growing arousal and wants to savor it, to continue feeling like this. Victor lets go and walks towards the bed, sitting on the edge and beckoning Yuuri with a crooked finger. Yuuri gives him a wicked smile and gently closes the door behind them.

 

— — — —

 

Yuuri walks into the coffee shop Monday morning, face breaking out into a grin the minute he sees Victor, already waiting at a table with two cups in front of him. The moment he notices Yuuri, he stands, pulling him into a hug and giving him a brief, but sweet kiss.  

 

“Good morning, my Yuuri. I already got you a tea, I hope that was okay?”

 

Yuuri pulls back, letting his hands brush and linger along Victor’s arms before taking a seat, Victor following suit. “It’s more than okay; that was so sweet. Thank you.” Victor gets a soft pink blush on his nose but gives Yuuri a warm smile.

 

“I don’t have a lot of time today, unfortunately,” Victor bemoans, “I’m meeting with my publisher in about 45 minutes, but I wanted to make sure I got to see you this morning and give you a kiss.” The pink deepens and spreads further across his cheeks.

 

Yuuri feels his face heat up, most likely matching Victor’s blush, but he smiles wider. Almost on instinct, he pushes up and over the table to catch Victor in another kiss, his lips falling slightly open in surprise before Yuuri covers them with his own. They both sigh against each other’s mouths, Yuuri pressing in a bit harder, until he remembers where they are and pulls back, feeling a bit breathless. Victor is looking at him in amazement with wide eyes that are shining in affection.

 

“ _Wow_.” Victor breathes out.

 

Yuuri gives him a coy side smile. “I-I missed you. Thank you for such an amazing time the other night… and morning.” He huffs out a nervous laugh, fiddling with his paper cup.

 

They’ve been texting constantly since Yuuri left Victor’s apartment yesterday morning (well actually early afternoon). Victor had been gentle, yet passionate, spoiling Yuuri with the most incredible night of love-making that he’s ever had, then making him breakfast the next morning. Yuuri can’t help his growing feelings, wanting more of whatever this thing is becoming between them, despite his constant worry of getting too close.

 

Victor reaches across the table and takes his other hand, bringing it up to his lips for a soft kiss. He keeps hold of it, caressing Yuuri’s knuckles with his thumb. “My pleasure. I had a wonderful time too. I haven’t had that nice of a night in a long time, so thank you. I really enjoyed getting to know more about each other, and I hope…” Victor clears his throat. “Yuuri, I-I like you so much and would love nothing more than for this to continue.” He gives Yuuri a hopeful look.

 

Yuuri hesitates briefly, worrying over Victor’s words. As much as he’s fallen deeper for Victor, more than he expected to, he’s still scared. But Yuuri also hasn’t felt this happy in such a long time and wants this. He wants Victor — he’s never wanted someone or something so badly before. Can he allow himself this one thing, this shot at real happiness?

 

Victor is still staring at him, nervously waiting for Yuuri to respond. Yuuri gives him a warm smile, unable to control the warmth spreading through his body, and the fast thumping of his heart. He squeezes Victor’s hand back. “I really like to you too, Victor. And I want this to continue too.”

 

Victor lets out a breath, as if he was holding it waiting for Yuuri’s answer, and gives him a beaming, heart-shaped smile. “Oh thank goodness, I’m so happy to hear that!" He glances down at his watch. "Well, I hate that I have to run since I’d much rather stay here with you, but I’ll text you after my meeting. And maybe I can call you later… if you’d like?”

 

Yuuri bites his lip to control the squeak threatening to burst out. “I’d love that, please do.”

 

Victor stands, collecting his things. He rounds the table and ducks down to give Yuuri a quick kiss. The tips of Yuuri’s ears heat up, but he smiles against his lips.

 

“Then I will definitely call you tonight. I already know it’s going to be torture getting through the day before I can talk to my lovely boyfriend again.” Yuuri’s eyes widen at that, but Victor just chuckles and gently taps him on the nose. “Have a good day, zolotse.” And with that, Victor breezes out of the cafe, leaving a breathless Yuuri in his wake.

 

_Boyfriend. Oh my god, I’m Victor’s boyfriend._

 

Yuuri takes a moment to calm himself, finishing off his drink. He stands on shaky legs and grabs his cup, heading towards the door. Suddenly, two men enter the cafe, blocking Yuuri’s path before he can leave.

 

One of the men looks him over, his eyes suddenly lighting up in recognition. “Mister Nakamura?” He says with a kind smile. He’s wearing a sharp, fitted suit, and has chin-length brown hair pulled back into a half-ponytail.

 

Yuuri tilts his head to the side and gives him a questioning look. “Yes… that’s me?”

 

The man’s smile grows wider. “Fantastic. My associate and I were hoping to run into you,” He gestures to the taller, dark-haired man standing next to him. “We would like to talk to you about a job.”

 

Yuuri is a bit taken aback. “O-oh? Uh, alright. But you were looking for me here? You could’ve just come by the office. Actually, we can head over there now if you like.” Yuuri’s senses perk up a bit, wondering why it seems as if he’s been tracked to the coffee shop.

 

The man waves his hand dismissively. “Apologies, we had planned to but thought it was a bit too early and decided to stop in here for a cup of coffee. I just happened to recognize you. Can we sit? This will only take a few minutes.”

 

Yuuri is still unsure, not knowing how they know who he was — what he looks like — the whole thing seeming to be a bit sketchy, but he nods and follows the men over to the table and sits across from them.

 

“So gentlemen, first let me ask who you are, how you know me, and then how I can be of help?”

 

The man who’s been doing all the talking reaches into his pocket, producing a billfold, and flips it open to show Yuuri what looks to be government credentials. Yuuri suddenly goes cold, feeling a strong urge to flee.

 

“I’m Leo de la Iglesia, and this here is Jean-Jacque Leroy… but you can call him JJ.” Yuuri raises his eyebrows at the man sitting next to Leo, who gives Yuuri a small smile and nod in return, however, something underneath his expression looks a bit unfriendly as if he’s attempting to be intimidating. Leo continues, “We’re from the NSA. We’ve heard good things about your little group, you all come highly recommended, and we’re hoping you’d be able to help us.”

 

Yuuri relaxes a bit and narrows his eyes. “The government wants me and my small, independent group of hackers, to help _them_?” He can’t help but huff out a laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t you have your own experts?”

 

The other man, JJ, speaks up. “We usually do, but this job is a bit more… let’s say delicate.”

 

Yuuri shakes his head and stands. “I’m sorry fellas, I’ll have to stop you right there. We don’t do government jobs, and certainly not ones of a _delicate_ nature. Now if you excuse me.”

 

Before Yuuri can leave, however, Leo stands again and holds up his hand to stop him. “We’re sorry Mister Nakamura, we didn’t mean to upset you. We understand your position.” He takes a slip of paper and pen out of his jacket pocket. “Here. If you change your mind, you can just give us a call at this number. I promise that the fee would be worthy of your consideration.”

 

Leo hands Yuuri the paper, then motions to JJ with a jut of his chin, who stands and gives Yuuri a sharp, single nod. The two men then take their leave. Yuuri looks after them and shakes his head, wondering just what the hell that was about, why they would come to him… and again, how did they know who he was? Feeling a sense of dread again, he looks down at the paper. It wasn’t a business card, but a folded-up standard sized sheet. Slowly he unfolds it, and looking at it he suddenly has to sit down again as his legs almost collapse out from under him.

 

It’s a printout of an FBI wanted poster for Katsuki Yūri, with a picture of him at eighteen, wearing the bright blue glasses he swapped out for contacts years ago, smiling back at him.  

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...
> 
>  
> 
> *In case anyone isn't familiar with who Victoria Gotti is, here is the link to her [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Gotti). Please note, I don't know if she has, or ever has had a poodle, or any dog for that matter. I just thought this would make a fun story for the origin of Vicchan's name, especially since it works with the location of the story. :)
> 
> *NSA = United States National Security Agency. From Wikipedia: Responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence purposes, specializing in a discipline known as signals intelligence (SIGINT). The NSA is also tasked with the protection of U.S. communications networks and information systems.
> 
> Come say hi, I’m Zupsgirl1 on [Tumblr](http://Zupsgirl1.tumblr.com), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JustUsThreeZs?lang=en), [Dreamwidth](https://zupsgirl-1.dreamwidth.org/), and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/Zupsgirl1)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the government knows Yuuri's true identity and where he is, what will he do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note there is mention of a panic attack in the beginning, it doesn't last very long but I just wanted anyone who is sensitive to this type of content to be aware.
> 
> Thanks to ajwolf for the beta!

 

Yuuri bursts into his apartment, flinging the door shut behind him and locking the deadbolt. Panting heavily, he leans his back against it and sinks down to the floor, bringing up his knees and pressing his face to them. He tries to hold back the tears threatening to escape.

 

_They found me. They fucking found me._

 

When Yuuri first ran, he’d emptied his bank account of the money he saved over the years from working at his hometown’s local ice rink and the money his parents provided him for school expenses (another thing he feels guilty over, although he sends money back to them anonymously whenever he can), then made his way across the border into Canada. He was able to hide out for almost a year before he found a job opportunity in New York. By then Yuuri had changed his identity and no one seemed the wiser, and here is where Yuuri has stayed since.  

 

But now the government has found him and he needs to flee, needs to get away. Yuuri can’t go to jail, not after all this time. As much as he understands what he did was wrong, it’s not as if he’s a _bad_ guy — he never hurt anyone. If anything he was only trying to teach crooked politicians a lesson and helping those in need, like a modern-day Robin Hood as he used to say. Yuuri was just young and dumb, arrogant in thinking he couldn’t get caught. He’s grown a lot these past few years and knows there are better ways to help others, rather than by breaking the law. If only he can be given a chance to prove that he’s changed, that he’s not the same kid he was back then.

 

Yuuri gasps for air, his chest tightening as breathing becomes more difficult, his heart beating rapidly and vision clouding over. He puts his hands over his ears, trying to quiet the pounding in his head and concentrates on calming his breaths, one… two… three…

 

Yuuri isn’t sure how long he sits there until he’s startled by little paws pressing up against his arm and a swipe of a tongue across his hand, prompting him to uncover his ears and lift his head to see Vicchan whimpering at him. Yuuri quickly collects the tiny poodle into his arms and lets himself get lavished with doggy kisses. He buries his face into Vicchan’s soft fur and focuses on the feeling, willing his short, shallow breaths to slow down. Vicchan can always help calm him — besides his love of dogs, one of the reasons Yuuri was glad to have Vicchan was the fact that the sweet poodle provided relief and something for Yuuri to focus on while he was in the midst of a panic attack.

 

Eventually, Yuuri calms down enough to bring himself to focus on coming up with a plan of what to do next. He gives Vicchan another nuzzle. “Hey buddy, thank you. I’m ok now.” Vicchan gives Yuuri a few more kisses, making him giggle. “So, I think you and I are going to have to go on a trip. I just need to figure out where.”

 

Yuuri gently places Vicchan down and gets up, brushing himself off, and heads into the bedroom. He grabs a suitcase from the closet, throwing it on his bed and opening it before turning back to collect shirts and pants, quickly pulling everything off the hangers. He piles it all into the suitcase and moves to the dresser, opening drawers and digging out his essentials.

 

_Where can I go? Should I try making it back to Japan? Would they look for me there? I know I can’t go back to Hasetsu, but can possibly hide out in Tokyo. At least I’ll be closer to home finally._

 

A buzzing in his pocket halts his frantic thoughts and movements. He doesn’t want to look, for what if it’s _them_? Yuuri shakes his head to clear his mind, knowing logically that the government wouldn’t be texting him, that it would be ridiculous. With a shaky hand, Yuuri reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He takes a deep, steadying breath and opens the home screen with the fingerprint sensor, bypassing the lock screen and notification altogether. Opening the messaging app, he’s greeted with a picture of Makkachin’s face, tongue lolling out and looking as if she’s smiling, with Victor wrapped around her in a hug and lighting up the whole screen with his beautiful heart-shaped smile. The picture is accompanied by a text message:

 

“Makka and I are missing our favorite men! I hope you’re having a good day, talk to you tonight <3 <3 <3 <3”

 

The tears that have been threatening to come finally burst forth and Yuuri once again collapses, knees hitting the floor and his hands curling into fists against his legs, clenching the phone so hard he almost breaks it. _Victor_ — what is he going to do about Victor? Yuuri _finally_ allows himself a small shred of happiness, and this is what happens. He should’ve known better, he shouldn’t have gotten involved. Now he’s only going to wind up hurting Victor, someone that already means so much to him, and who certainly doesn’t deserve this. Victor doesn’t deserve to have Yuuri disappear on him, but what else can he do?

 

Yuuri drops his phone and curls up into a ball, choking out a sob, and allows the tears to keep falling as his heart shatters.

 

Yuuri stays on the floor until his tears dry up, mind whizzing through his choices and what each scenario can result in, most not ending optimistically. He rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling, the drying tears streaked uncomfortably down his cheeks so he scrubs his face against the sleeve of his t-shirt. Yuuri replays the short conversation with the NSA agents over in his head — they hadn’t come with police or the feds to arrest him… yet. They asked Yuuri to help, to do something that sounds as if it might be just over the wrong side of the law, however. Maybe they’ll make a deal with him? _I promise that the fee would be worthy of your consideration_ , is what they said.

 

Remaining on his back, Yuuri reaches out a hand and feels around until he finds his phone. He notices that there are a few texts from Christophe and Minako wondering where the hell he is. First, he sends a message back to Victor, letting him know how beautiful they both look in the picture, and that he and Vichan miss them too. He punctuates the message with a kissy face and heart emoji, although his heart is clenching in his chest as he hits send. Then running a frustrated hand through his hair, he lets out a long, defeated sigh as he thumbs through his contacts and presses the call button.

 

— — — —   

 

Not even a half hour later, Yuuri's doorbell is buzzing insistently. He shuffles over to the speaker and presses the button.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Let me up.”

 

Sighing, he buzzes his visitor in and opens the apartment door. As the elevator dings at the end of the hall, he steels himself for the impending onslaught. The elevator doors are barely open before Minako comes barreling through them and down the hallway, the sides of her open tan trench coat flapping behind her. Yuuri steps out of the way so as to not get swept away by the human tornado as she crashes into his apartment.

 

Minako throws her purse down onto a nearby armchair, then spins around and points a finger at Yuuri. “Alright I’m here, tell me everything. What the hell happened?”

 

Yuuri closes the door and flops down on the couch, Vicchan following to jump up and curl into his lap. “It’s like I said, they found me. Only took five years, not too shabby.” He huffs out a humorless laugh.

 

Minako rolls her eyes and drops down into the chair. “Look kid, you have to give me a bit more if I’m gonna be any help.”

 

Yuuri recounts the whole confrontation and shows her the wanted poster, even though he’s pretty sure she’s seen it before. Minako hums in thought as she looks it over, then stands up and begins to pace, handing the paper back to Yuuri as she passes.

 

“Ok, so they want us to do a job for them, so maybe they’ll make a deal with you. You can ask for them to clear your record as part of the payment. We should meet with them right away and see what the details are.”

 

Yuuri shakes his head emphatically. “I can’t get you all involved in this, it’s my mess. I mean, I was thinking along the same lines of seeing what they’ll do for me in exchange, but the way they were talking it seems that this could be illegal. I don’t want the team getting tangled up in something like that.”

 

“But Yuuri, they are the government. Maybe it’s illegal, but we can work in that they cover our asses if something goes wrong.”

 

“Isn’t that too much to ask for? Set me free but also don’t arrest any of us if we fail or get caught… or who the hell knows what else? It could potentially be something dangerous!”

 

Minako stops pacing in front of him and folds her arms across her chest. “Why don’t we find out the particulars first, then let the rest of the guys decide whether they want to be involved? You don’t even have to tell them the truth about your past… I’ll understand if you don’t want to. We can keep that detail to ourselves, but that’s up to you. I’m going to help you either way.”

 

Yuuri frowns and looks up at her. “Why?”

 

Minako’s mouth twitches up into a half smile. “I guess I’ve just grown fond of you. I never had kids, but I like to think that if I had, they’d probably be just like you.” She shrugs and clears her throat. “And besides, you’re my boss so if you go to jail I might have to look for a new job, and that would be just another fucking hassle I don’t want to deal with.”

 

For the first time since that morning, Yuuri laughs. “Yeah… that definitely would suck.” He thinks for a minute, hand stroking through Vicchan’s fur. “Alright, I’ll call them and set up a meeting, see what the offer is. I think I should probably meet with them alone though.”

 

“Like _hell_ you are. I’m already pissed at how they cornered you… something’s fishy about that. There’s no way running into you was a coincidence.”

 

Yuuri sighs, resigning himself to the fact that there’s no arguing with Minako. “Fine. Maybe you can wait outside or nearby, though. I’m just thinking that if I’m going to try to barter with them, it might be better if it’s just me so they don’t feel like we’re teaming up against them. They approached only me, after all. I… I just don’t know, but I agree that this whole thing feels off.” Yuuri runs a hand down his face and groans in frustration.

 

Minako sits down on the armchair again with a huff. “Yeah, that’s why I should go with you, but fine. Your life, your rules I suppose.”

 

Yuuri gives her a nod. “If the job seems acceptable, if I think we can handle it, then I’ll tell the others… about everything.”

 

“You sure, Yuuri?” Minako raises her eyebrows questioningly.

 

Yuuri leans his head against the back of the couch and closes his eyes. “Yeah. I trust them and if I’m going to bring something like this to them, something that’s potentially dangerous, then they deserve to understand why. The government knows where I am anyway, so what are they going to do? Turn me in?”

 

Minako chuckles and throws her hands up in assent. “That’s true. Alright, so let’s make the call.”

 

— — — —

 

After Yuuri sets up a time and place to meet with agents de la Iglesia and Leroy, he allows Minako to drag him to the office with the intention of getting his mind off things by working on the report they owe on the bank job. They keep what’s transpired that morning to themselves, and the team luckily doesn’t press for further detail after Yuuri’s insistence that everything is fine.

 

The rest of the day goes by fairly quickly, the paperwork indeed helping Yuuri keep his mind off everything, as well as the indulgent lunch they all treat themselves to at their favorite restaurant as a reward for their hard work last week. Laughing and relaxing with his partners — his friends — makes Yuuri almost feel normal again, even if it’s short-lived.

 

By the time Yuuri makes it back to his building later that evening, however, a small sense of dread over what the next day will bring begins to creep up. But before he can think about it too much, his phone starts ringing the moment he steps off the elevator, startling him out of his worried thoughts. He sees Viktor’s name on the screen, calling just as he promised, bringing a smile to his face, especially now that his initial plans to run away and leave the man behind have been stalled.

 

“Hey you,” Yuuri answers as he unlocks his front door.

 

“Hello, handsome. How was your day?” Victor breathes, and Yuuri can hear the smile in his voice.

 

“Eh, it was ok, just busy. Much better now that I’m talking to you though.” Yuuri tries to keep his tone light, not wanting to think about the disastrous morning and focuses instead on how hearing Victor’s calming voice is already providing him some comfort.

 

Victor giggles across the line. “Well that’s good, I’m glad I can be of help.” He pauses then as if he’s thinking something over. “So Yuuri… I know it’s a work night and all, but…”

 

Yuuri’s heart rate speeds up, hoping that Victor is about to suggest what he thinks he’s going to.

 

“... and I don’t want to seem… you know, needy or anything, but I’ve been missing you all day and was hoping that maybe you’d like to see each other tonight? Even if just to grab a quick bite to eat?”

 

Yuuri lets out a soft chuckle. “Honestly, I’ve been missing you too, so if you’re needy then so am I. And I could definitely go for some dinner. Did you want to meet somewhere? Or we could do takeout here if you like… unfortunately, I don’t have much at home to whip up a meal that’d be good enough to dazzle you with.”

 

Victor laughs, bright and loud. “Oh Yuuri, don’t worry. You’ve already dazzled me plenty,” he suddenly drops his voice low, with a seductive tone, “especially the other night with that skilled tongue of yours. Oh and your hands, and your— ”

 

Yuuri’s face heats up, knowing just what Victor is referring to. “Ok, ok Victor! I got it!” Victor just laughs again and Yuuri clears his throat. “So food… I can call this great Korean place nearby and have them deliver?”

 

“Perfect. I can be there in about an hour. Does that work?”

 

Yuuri nods but feels silly realizing Victor can’t see him. “An hour works, gives me time to get settled. Oh, and please bring Makkachin. Vicchan would love to see her… as would I.”

 

“Of course, she’ll be excited to see you both as well.”

 

They say their goodbyes, and as Yuuri hangs up it dawns on him that he needs to quickly clean up the mess he left all over his bedroom this morning during his panic, so he quickly runs down the hall to do so before hopping into the shower.

 

Victor arrives right on time and Yuuri practically launches himself into his boyfriend’s arms, not unlike the way Vicchan greets Makkachin. Victor pulls him close, both of them content to just hold onto one another as if they hadn’t seen each other that morning. Once Yuuri begrudgingly removes himself from Victor’s embrace, they order dinner, getting enough food to feed an army since Victor couldn’t decide (“ _everything sounds too good, Yuuri!_ ”). They eat at Yuuri’s tiny kitchen table, sitting close and sharing bites of food between conversation.  

 

After dinner they relax on the couch, Vicchan and Makkachin curled up together nearby, putting on a movie that they barely pay attention to, the need to be wrapped up in each other’s arms is too strong to be ignored. Thrumming through Yuuri’s veins is a desperate urgency to touch every part of Victor, to keep him close. Maybe he’s being too clingy, but the thought of almost losing what they have still hangs in the back of his mind. If Victor notices he doesn’t bring it up and seems to have a need to hold and touch Yuuri just as much. As time ticks by, the thought of Victor leaving gnaws at Yuuri, already hating the idea of them being apart; everything is just better when he’s with Victor. It’s as if all his worries fade to the background and there’s nothing but only the two of them left in the world.

 

Sensing Victor’s own reluctance to end the night, Yuuri finally asks him to stay. Victor responds by pulling him in for a deep and passionate kiss, then he stands and tugs Yuuri down the hall towards the bedroom, their kisses and touches becoming more hungry and desperate by the time they collapse in a tangle on the bed. Their lovemaking is just as incredible as the other night, even more so now that they each have a better understanding of the way the other’s body responds, what they each enjoy. Yuuri takes control and rides Victor into a state of oblivion, getting lost in the sensation himself, loving the look of his boyfriend falling apart beneath him. He can feel the stirrings of what he might call love, but he’s afraid to admit it so soon. Instead, Yuuri tries to convey just how strongly he feels in the way he gives himself over to Victor, pouring all his emotion into every movement.

 

Once they’re satiated and spent, they curl up together under the sheets, Yuuri tracing patterns with his fingertips along the planes of Victor’s chest as he runs his fingers through Yuuri’s hair. As they bask in the afterglow, Yuuri silently wishes for tomorrow to go well so that when it’s all said and done, maybe he can finally get his life back. That he can hopefully hold onto Victor and keep this burgeoning relationship without anything getting between them — that just maybe Yuuri can keep Victor by his side.  

 

— — — —

 

The next afternoon Yuuri and Minako head to the location given to him by Leo de la Iglesia. Surprisingly, it’s an office located in a building right across the street from the coffee shop. The thought occurs to Yuuri that maybe they’ve been watching him, seeing as how often he frequents the place, and it sends a shiver down his spine. Minako insists on waiting in the lobby, where there are a couple benches lined up along the wall, as Yuuri makes his way to the office right at the top of the stairs on the second floor.

 

He raps on the frosted window of the door, and JJ Leroy answers, frowning and giving Yuuri a look up and down before stepping aside to let him in. Leo walks over with his hand extended for Yuuri to shake.

 

“Mister Katsuki, welcome and thank you for meeting with us. Can I call you Yuuri?” Yuuri winces at the use of his real name but nods sharply, and Leo continues. “Would you like some water or coffee?” Leo gives him a friendly smile, while JJ stays silent and walks over to a file cabinet against the far wall.

 

Yuuri shakes his head, watching JJ’s movements. “No, I’m fine. So what’s the deal? What do you want from me?”

 

Leo gestures for him to sit at a small table then takes the opposite chair. JJ walks over with a file and sits in between them, opening the folder and sliding it in front of Yuuri.

 

“Mathematician named Dr. Celestino Cialdini,” JJ begins. “Works at a think tank called the Almavivo Institute at Columbia University. Specializes in number theory, algorithms, ciphers—”

 

“Cryptography is what I assume you’re getting at,” Yuuri responds dryly.

 

“Yes, exactly!” Leo chimes in. “Two months ago, this guy gets a pretty substantially sized grant, five hundred thousand dollars, which came across as a red flag for us, considering what he’s specializing in. So, of course, we traced the money — take a guess where it comes from?”

 

“Don’t say Russia.” Yuuri narrows his eyes.

 

Leo clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Bingo. Look, we know they’re still spying on us, and we still keep our eyes on them. It’s just the way it is.”

 

Yuuri sighs and rubs his temples, his thoughts briefly flashing to his Russian boyfriend. He thinks these political games are ridiculous and would rather not get involved. What would Victor think if he heard this?

 

“So what’s the real issue?”

 

“We were able to find out that Cialdini is working on some kind of device for them, and given the field he works in, you can probably understand why we’d be curious,” JJ explains. “We want to you find that device and retrieve it for us.”

 

Yuuri stands and waves his hands in front of him. “No way! That’s way too dangerous. Do it yourselves, I’m sure you have people who can handle this.”

 

“Unfortunately, we can’t. It would be against the law for us to do so, and we aren’t equipped for this type of operation.” Leo gives him a pleading look. “Please Yuuri, just sit and hear us out.”

 

Yuuri sits but shakes his head. “What about the FBI or CIA? Get them to do it.”

 

JJ snorts. “Yeah right. You know what it would take for them to get approval on something like this? We don’t have that kind of time. From what we know, the device is already finished, so we need to move fast. If it gets in the hands of the Russians, who the hell knows what will happen.”

 

Leo nods along then gives Yuuri a shrug. “You see why we need you?”

 

“No, actually I don’t, so please explain it to me. Why would you want _me_ to do this for you? You’d trust someone like me, knowing what I’ve done in the past?”

 

“It’s exactly for that reason we need you, Yuuri. To be completely honest, this is kind of illegal. But we’re concerned about National Security. We know how skilled you are, and how good your team is at what they do. You’ve also managed to stay hidden for five years; you know how to not get caught.”

 

“And we can trust you to keep quiet, not open your yap,” JJ interjects and Leo rolls his eyes.  

 

Leo continues, “The job will pay three hundred and fifty thousand. We think that’s a decent fee that you can split nicely with your friends.”

 

Yuuri crosses his arms. “That’s all. What about me? Am I supposed to not expect the government to be breathing down my neck now that you know who and where I am? Or am I supposed to use to money to run again? Because frankly, I’m fucking tired of running.”

 

“Well maybe if you hadn’t been trying to be the prince of thieves you wouldn’t be in this predicament, now would you?” JJ retorts, standing suddenly and shooting him a look that indicates he doesn’t approve of Yuuri’s past life choices.

 

“JJ, knock it off.” Leo stands and places an arm on JJ to subdue him, then comes over to Yuuri’s side of the table and leans against it. “Look Yuuri, we know you were just a kid and thought you were trying to do something good. If you do this for us, we’ll clear your record. You’d be free, can go back to being Katuski Yūri again. Just think about what that means… you could see your family again.”

 

Leo gives him a sympathetic look, and Yuuri’s heart clenches at the thought of his family finally knowing that he’s alive and that he could go see them once again. But something is just not sitting right with Yuuri still. He feels uneasy about all this and is still hesitant to get the others involved. Sure they can all use the money, but the other part of it, to ask them to help him for such a selfish reason, he’s not sure if he can do it.

 

“And if I refuse? Then what?”  

 

Both men give him a serious look, even Leo’s previously kind expression becoming a bit more sinister, and Yuuri’s stomach turns.

 

“Just _don’t_ say no,” Leo states, matter of factly. “You’re no good to anyone in prison, now are you?”  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi, I’m Zupsgirl1 on [Tumblr](http://Zupsgirl1.tumblr.com), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JustUsThreeZs?lang=en), [Dreamwidth](https://zupsgirl-1.dreamwidth.org/), and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/Zupsgirl1)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri tells the team about his past, then they put a plan into place to retrieve the device the NSA wants from Celestino Cialdini.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this chapter for quite some time now, and I'm happy to finally share it. I hope you all enjoy seeing Yuuri in action again. 
> 
> In case anyone is sensitive, there is brief mentions of throwing up / gagging. It doesn't happen though.
> 
> Couple things: I am not quite sure on my accuracy of school years in Japan, which is briefly mentioned in the beginning flashback. I did try looking up the typical school year and breaks. Also I hope the format messaging in the beginning works alright. I was trying something a little different. Unfortunately, I"m not so savvy with making cool looking messaging pics. Maybe one day I'll learn.
> 
> Also, hopefully the little bits of Italian I threw in for Celestino are correct. I used Google translate (terrible, I know) as well as what I could remember from my Italian grandmother. :)

Katsu stumbles into his dorm room, throwing his backpack on the bed and sitting down heavily in his chair, folding his arms and pillowing his head against them as he slumps across the desk. Being from Japan, he should be used to exhausting school schedules and tons of studying, but the school year itself isn’t the same. He’s used to having longer breaks, not having to go during the summer months, but coming here to America he started his first semester in August, with most of his last summer at home spent packing up and moving to a new country. He knows he’ll be fine eventually, it will just take some getting used to.

  
Also, why the hell did he ever sign up for an eight a.m. class?

  
Lifting his head to look at his computer, he logs onto the school’s message boards, double checking the time his physics study group is scheduled. Suddenly a notification pops up on his screen; a DM from someone with the user name V1rg0. Weird… he doesn’t recall knowing anyone with that name, but they are obviously must be someone here at school. Biting his lip and hovering his mouse of the notification, he hesitates only for a moment before accepting the message.

 **V1rg0:** Hey there!

 **Katsu_Damn:** Umm, hi?

 **V1rg0:** What’s up? I’ve seen you in class and thought you were cute so just wanted to say hi!

 

Katsu feels his cheeks heat up. Someone in class thinks he’s cute? Him?

 

 **Katsu_Damn:** Umm, ok… thank you? I’m sorry but I don’t know who you are :(

 **V1rg0:** Oh haha! Sorry, I guess you wouldn’t know just by my screen name! We’re in CompSci 101 together. I sit 1 row up and 2 seats over to the left.

 **Katsu_Damn:** Oh, ok yeah I’ve seen you. Fun class right?

The professor is pretty fun and seems fair

 

 **V1rg0:** Yes definitely! So your a Comp Sci major right? I think we’re in the same dorm too

 **V1rg0:**  I was wondering if maybe you’d like to study together sometime? Or maybe just hang out? We can discuss the lecture we just had on encryption if you like. I thought it was really interesting.

 

Katsu’s face literally felt like it was on fire and he was glad the person couldn’t see. He’s always been shy and slow to make new friends. But now he was in the US — in college — and he knows he should try opening up more and having some fun. College was supposed to be the best time of his life, right? Smiling to himself he responds before letting his nerves take over.

 

 

 **Katsu_Damn:** Sure! I’d love that. It really was pretty cool. I’ve always to learn more about that stuff.

 **Katsu_Damn:** Do you have time now? We can go grab a coffee?

 

 **V1rg0:**  I’d love to! Meet you in the dorm lobby in 10?

 

 **Katsu_Damn:**  See you then! :D

 

* * *

 

 

“So that’s the deal.”

 

Yuuri looks around at his partners, all except Minako giving him looks of surprise, mixed with what he believes must be disappointment and probably anger. Unable to meet any of their eyes, he averts his eyes, glancing down at his phone, which he’s been turning around in his hands while relaying the story — his best friend’s arrest, running from the law to become a fugitive for these past five years, to how the NSA has now tracked him down and their offer of clearing his record in exchange for doing a risky and potentially dangerous job for them.

 

“I’m sorry for dropping all this on you guys, and I’m sure you’re mad or upset that I kept it from you. I… I was a dumb kid that made a mistake — _a huge mistake_ — so I’ll understand if you want out.”

 

That seems to snap the guys back to attention, Otabek being the first to speak up.

 

“Look Yuuri, it’s understandable why you didn’t tell us at first, being a wanted man is no joke... but after all this time? Do you still not trust us? I mean we're your partners.”

 

Yuuri shakes his head. “It’s not that easy Otabek, and it wasn’t anything against any of you personally. When you’re wanted by the feds, it’s hard to trust _anyone_ , especially with something like this. I’ve been looking over my shoulder for five years. Hell, I didn’t even tell Minako… she found out on her own with those secret little ways of hers.”

 

They all give Minako a look but she just shrugs, so Yuuri continues, “I’m sorry for deceiving you all. I know it was shitty but… but honestly, I live my life in a constant state of fear.” Yuuri sighs and gives them an imploring look. “I just want you to know that I’m not trying to excuse what I did or say that I don’t feel guilty about it, because believe me, I do. I live with the guilt every _damn second_ of my life.”

 

Phichit speaks up then, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat and not quite looking at Yuuri, but past him at the wall. “Thinking about what happened to you… to your friend… makes me even more grateful to you and what you did for me, Yuuri. I was headed down that same path, and if you hadn’t caught me when you did, I’m sure I would’ve gotten cocky and started moving on to bigger things just to see if I could. You actually saved me from the same fate.” Phichit finally looks back at Yuuri and gives him a small smile.

 

“So as a thank you, I’ll gladly help with whatever you need.” His smile grows wider and more mischievous. “However, since it looks like we’re all being honest... I’ll admit that I’m not scoffing over the payload either.”

 

Otabek nods along, “Yeah… don’t get me wrong, I like you and all Yuuri. You’re the best boss I’ve ever had, and your past honestly doesn’t bother me... but I’m definitely in it for the money.”

 

Yuuri can’t help but laugh. “Thanks, guys, I really appreciate that.”

 

Christophe clears his throat and as soon as Yuuri looks over and notices his serious expression, the smile falls from his face. Chris doesn’t say anything right away, remains leaned back in his chair, stroking the scruff on his chin. Yuuri’s shoulders sag and he begins to shrink away from Chris’ gaze, starting to worry what he’s is actually thinking when the corners of his mouth twitch up in a hint of a smile.

 

“Alright, fine. I’m in as well. If only for the fact that someone as gorgeous as you are doesn’t belong in prison garb. And I’d much rather your sweet doe eyes continue bringing men to their knees _outside_ of a cell block.”

 

Yuuri sighs in relief and fondly shakes his head. “Yeah, I’d prefer that too… thanks, Chris.”

 

“Of course mon chéri. Seriously though, you know I adore you and will do what I can to help.”     

 

Yuuri ducks his head and blushes, mumbling to himself how he’s nothing special. Phichit pipes up again, however, bringing Yuuri’s attention back to the group.

 

“I guess we can assume that you’re with us too, right Minako?”

 

She gives them all a once over, before sighing and opening her laptop. “I already spoke my peace with Yuuri… but my feelings for him and his past aside, you guys wouldn’t survive five minutes on something like this without me, so I’ll have to stick around to make sure you all don’t get yourselves killed.” Phichit cheers and punches the air as the others laugh.

 

“Now boys, let’s get down to business and figure out just how we’re going to pull this one off.”

 

Yuuri nods and unlocks his phone to pull up the information given to him by the NSA agents. “So Dr. Cialdini will be giving a lecture this Thursday afternoon, so that leaves tonight and tomorrow for planning and surveillance…”

 

* * *

 

“Unencrypted data, referred to as plaintext, is encrypted into ciphertext, which will, in turn, can be, and will usually be, decrypted back into usable plaintext. Encryption and decryption are based upon the type of cryptography scheme being employed and some form of key. This process can be as follows, C = Ek(P) and P = Dk(C)...”

 

Yuuri feels like he’s zoned out halfway through Dr. Cialdini’s lecture, especially since most what’s been covered thus far has been fairly basic for someone with his knowledge and skills. He learned a lot of this when he was in college and the rest has been through practical application. Minako seems more interested at least, although that could be due to something unrelated to the discussion topic if her comment regarding what an ‘Italian stallion’ the mathematician was once he stepped onto stage has anything to do with it.

 

Yuuri leans over and whispers to her, “So any thoughts on this guy so far? Is our original plan still a go?”

 

Minako keeps her eyes focused ahead but bites her lip and nods. “Oh yes, _definitely_. Keeping him distracted shouldn’t pose any problem for me whatsoever.”

 

Yuuri just rolls his eyes and reclines back in his seat, half paying attention while waiting for Cialdini to quit rambling. Then at least they can finally put their plan into action and hopefully get this whole thing over with.

 

An hour later, Yuuri and Minako find themselves at the cocktail reception held for attendees of the presentation, watching Cialdini talking up potential sponsors across the room. Based on the younger people standing nearby, most likely Cialdini’s students, he must be looking for money to fund his department and other projects — money that doesn’t come with shady ties to a foreign government.

 

As Yuuri is shoving canapes into his mouth, Minako suddenly nudges him. “Alright, a few people have walked away so I’m going in. I’ll signal you if necessary, but try to be quick.”

 

Yuuri nods and brushes off his hands before reaching into his pocket to check for the small earpiece he’ll be wearing. Originally Christophe wanted him to wear eyeglasses with a built-in communication device, so as to be less conspicuous, but after Yuuri showed him his FBI wanted poster Chris finally relented, understanding Yuuri’s reluctance. Cialdini’s office is located in another section of the building, which requires access past security with an ID card reader, so the plan is for Yuuri to pretend to be a student that left his card at home but doesn’t have time to run back since he needs to urgently check on an experiment. If necessary, he’ll have to implement his flirting techniques (which is Chris’ hopeful outcome so as to keep their betting pool running), but Yuuri is crossing his fingers it won’t come to that.

 

After Minako hones in on her prey, Yuuri turns around to leave the reception and duck into the restroom to first change into the t-shirt and jeans he has stashed in his backpack, only he literally crashes into someone standing right behind him. A hand quickly reaches out and steadies him as he staggers, but as he looks up to apologize it quickly dies on his lips as he suddenly finds himself staring into the bright blue eyes of his boyfriend.

 

“V-Victor! What are you doing here?”

 

Victor raises an eyebrow, keeping his hold on Yuuri’s arm, the warmth seeping through his jacket. “What am _I_ doing here? I’m the one who dabbles in mathematics and is doing research for my book, remember dear? I think maybe I should be the one asking why you’re here… are you possibly stepping out on me Yuuri?”

 

Yuuri flinches, confused, unsure if the accusation is in jest or not. “W-What? Of course I’m not! How would you even come to that conclusion? Don’t you remember that cryptography and computers are my thing… _dear_?”

 

Victor chuckles and takes a step closer, keeping his voice low. “Of course I remember… I remember everything you’ve told me about yourself, love.” Yuuri shivers at the pet name and briefly wonders if it carries the weight behind it that he hopes, but he pushes that away as soon as it invades his brain because he’s sure it must be way too soon to think like that.

 

Victor continues, “I was just surprised to see you at the presentation since you never mentioned that you were attending. But I’m also curious as to who the pretty lady accompanying you is? I noticed you two whispering during Dr. Cialdini’s talk and just saw you together again here...” Victor trails off and steps back, dropping his hand. Yuuri thinks he detects a bit of sadness in his eyes despite him trying to keep his tone light.

 

Is Victor seriously jealous? Does he honestly think Yuuri is being unfaithful?

 

Yuuri steps closer, not letting Victor get away from his grasp that easy, and takes hold of his hand, bringing it up to press a soft kiss against his palm. A light pink tinge spreads across Victor’s cheeks and Yuuri can’t help but chuckle, a smirk playing across his lips. “Victor, that’s Minako over there. My operations manager? Now I _know_ that I told you all about everyone on my team. There’s no reason to get jealous, I promise you’re the only one for me.”

 

Victor’s eyes widen and he glances over Yuuri’s shoulder, no doubt watching Minako, who should be hopefully putting her all into flirting with their target. He looks back down at Yuuri apologetically. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Yuuri! I should’ve known. I-I didn’t really mean what I said. I was only joking and don’t think you were going behind my back, honest-”

 

Yuuri places a finger against Victor’s lips to shush him and smiles even wider. “I know and it’s alright. I.. I think that I actually like that you were a little jealous, and would most likely feel the same way… I hope you don’t think too badly of me for that.” He feels his own cheeks begin to heat up and lets his finger pull Victor’s lip down slightly as he takes it away, keeping their eyes locked.

 

Victor sighs in relief, but then his mouth ticks up into a smirk and his eyes twinkle mischievously as he keeps hold of Yuuri’s hand and pulls him in against his side, guiding them to a corner of the room. He leans down and whispers against the shell of Yuuri’s ear, “Of course I don’t think bad of you, solnyshko. I want everyone to see you're mine, to know that we belong only to each other.”  

 

Yuuri sighs and automatically leans into him, letting their heads rest against each other, but he quickly remembers where they are and that he has a job to do. Reluctantly, he pulls out of Victor’s embrace and gives him an apologetic smile. “Believe me when I say that I’m happy we’ve run into each other, but unfortunately I really must run.” Victor frowns and Yuuri lightly brushes Victor’s bangs out of his eyes, letting his fingertips linger against his face for a moment, Victor’s lashes flutter at the touch. “Can I call you later tonight?”  

 

Victor nods and opens his eyes, still looking disappointed. “What’s the rush though? Wait... if Minako is with you…” He drops his voice to a whisper. “Does that mean you’re here on a job? Are you working?”

 

Yuuri darts his eyes around, making sure no one is standing too close and within earshot. He bites the side of his lip, wondering how much he should tell Victor. He doesn’t want to lie but he can’t divulge all the particulars of this situation because that will only lead to more questions. He glances back up at Victor and gives him a small nod.

 

Victor seems to understand for he smiles sweetly and squeezes Yuuri’s hand. “I understand that you probably can’t go into detail, so I won’t push.”

 

Yuuri gratefully returns the smile and runs his free hand through his hair. “Thanks, I appreciate that. But we’re on a tight schedule, so I really do need to get going. I have to change and try to weasel my way past security to gain access into the Computer Science building. I promise that we’ll talk later though.”

 

Yuuri quickly pulls Victor into a hug, saying goodbye, but before he can let go, Victor’s arms tighten around him and he whispers softly again. “Actually… I could probably help you out with that part if you need. That is, if me getting involved won't compromise anything.”

 

As he releases his hold Yuuri steps back and blinks up at him in surprise. “How can you help?”

 

“I’m supposed to be meeting with another professor here. Someone as a consult for my book. I know I asked you for some help but this is really just in regards to numbers and basic cryptography, so I’ll need your input on the more practical aspect.” Victor waves his hand dismissively. “But anyway, he suggested I attend this presentation and then come see him afterward. We don’t have an exact meeting time set up, he said to just stop by whenever I was done here.”

 

“Okaaay… so how does that help me?” Yuuri asks, still a bit confused.

 

Victor smiles, his eyes now lighting up in excitement. “His office is located in the Computer Science building as well. I can just tell security that you’re my assistant and you’re accompanying me. That should help get you in, right?”

 

Yuuri thinks about it for a moment. “That could actually work… but wouldn’t they be informed of any visitors so that he’d be expecting two people to show up?”

 

Victor shakes his head, “I doubt it, I wouldn’t think security is that tight in a school that normally has tons of students milling about. If I’m wrong, however, and they do notify him, then I can just say I left you here to try to catch Dr. Cialdini to ask him some questions regarding his talk and only told security in case you finished up and needed to find me.” Victor smiles triumphantly.

 

Yuuri can’t help but chuckle. “Wow, you really have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Yuuri hesitates briefly, however, still unsure whether Victor should get involved. “Ok, look, I really appreciate the help, and it could possibly work… but I still won't be able to provide you with any more details on what I need to do. It makes me worry and be hesitant to get you involved.”

 

Instead of looking disappointed, Victor gets determined look on his face and gently takes hold both of Yuuri’s shoulders. “I already said I wouldn’t push for more detail, solnyshko, and I understand the nature of your job, your need for discretion. But if there’s a way for me to help, I’d like to do so instead of just standing idly by. I’ll stay out of the way otherwise, promise. If you believe it's a bad idea, however, then just say so and I’ll gladly step back.”

 

Yuuri gives him a small smile. “No, actually the objectives of this assignment don’t require me to report on the capabilities of the security guards, so we’re good there.” Yuuri takes a deep breath, glances back over at Minako to see her laughing and standing very close to Cialdini, then looks back up at Victor. “Alright, let's go.”

 

— — — — —

 

Yuuri shouldn’t have been surprised how easy it was for Victor to get him into the computer science building, but considering how suave and charming his boyfriend is, there was no difficulty convincing the security guard to let both Victor and Yuuri through with nothing more than a smile and nod. Yuuri might have to keep Victor on standby for when they need to flirt their way through something — it would definitely give Christophe and himself a bit of a break. Well him at least, since Chris probably would never give up a chance to flirt. It could be helpful, however, to ensure they don’t have issues when they inevitably find themselves facing someone they’ve already had to charm their way past before.

 

In the elevator, Yuuri gives Victor a sideways glance, trying and failing to keep a smirk from showing on his face. “So Mr. Charmer, remember when we were talking about jealousy? Should I be worried that you make your way through life only having to bat your pretty eyes and add in a well-placed hair flip with everyone you meet?”

 

Victor lets out an adorable snort, quickly covering his mouth in embarrassment. Yuuri steps closer and nudges him with his shoulder. Victor meets Yuuri’s eyes, a light blush spread across his cheeks. “I can’t help it if I’m naturally charming, but I assure you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

 

Yuuri rests his head against Victor’s shoulder and closes his eyes, enjoying the warmth seeping through Victor’s jacket, but all too soon the elevator dings and they come to a stop. Yuuri straightens and puts his game face on, knowing he now has to get serious — his life is depending on this and he can’t fuck it up. Fishing the earpiece out of his pocket, he turns it on before placing it in his ear. He nods to Victor as they step off the elevator and presses the button in order to communicate with the team, who are waiting in the van, parked a few blocks away.

 

“Ok guys, I’m through security and just got off the elevator. Lucky for us, I ran into Victor and he was able to help me get into the building without any issues.”

 

Chris’ voice sounds through, “Oh really now? We were starting to wonder when you were going to check in. I didn’t think there was time to fit in a little tête-à-tête with Mr. Perfect. Well played Yuuri, you make me proud.”

 

Yuuri sighs and rolls his eyes, even though Chris can’t see him. “It wasn’t like that… I’ll explain later since I don’t have too much time. Any word from Minako?”

 

“She’s still flirting and keeping the target distracted. He seems quite taken and is falling for it, so you’ll hopefully be good for a while, but I still would try to hurry it up if I were you.” Otabek’s serious tone comes through next. Yuuri always appreciates how his no-nonsense attitude keeps them on track.

 

“Ok, I’ll let you know when I’m in.” Yuuri turns back to Victor and flashes him a grateful smile. “Thanks again for the help, you’re a lifesaver. I really have to hurry now though, and I know you have to get to your meeting, so I’ll call you tonight.”

 

Victor glances down at his watch. “I could probably hang out here for another ten minutes before I really should get going, so if you need me to, I can keep watch just in case anyone shows up?”

 

Yuuri is already turning to head down the hall, so he throws a glance back over his shoulder. “Sure, but only if you have time. Don’t be late on my account. Just text me if you see anyone heading this way. Thanks!”

 

He blows Victor a kiss and jogs down the hall, half wishing that he decided to change into his casual clothes and sneakers instead of staying in his suit since he figured it worked better with playing the part of Victor’s assistant. Oh well, too late for that now.

 

Having the layout of the building and Cialdini’s office number memorized from the information they gathered last night, Yuuri finds himself in front of the door in no time. However, it seems that just strolling in and finding the device is already not going to be as simple as he hoped.

 

“Uh, guys… He’s got an electronic key card reader on the door. Now what?”

 

Yuuri winces as he hears the guys collectively curse and start floundering about. What school has keycard locks on the office doors of their professors? This guy definitely seems suspicious. Yuuri just stands there, internally scratching his head trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do when Phichit’s voice comes over.

 

“Hey boss, I just thought of something. Try this…”

 

Yuuri listens for a moment, then shrugs. “I’ll try anything at this point, so here goes.”

 

He grabs the handle and gives it a jiggle, and low and behold the door actually opens. Chuckling, he quickly ducks inside and closes the door behind him. “How’d you know that would work?”

 

Phichit laughs. “We got his class and office hours schedule remember? He had office hours for his students right before the presentation so I figured he probably left the lock open for them to have easy access. I was hoping that he forgot to set the lock in his rush to leave… looks like I guessed right!” He says triumphantly.

 

“Good work kid, next meal is on me.” Yuuri glances about the office. “So now to find this device and get the hell out of here.” Yuuri rubs the back of his head as he surveys the room. “Just wish I knew what I was looking for exactly.”

 

The office seems to be pretty standard, if not a little nicer than what Yuuri remembers of his own college professors. There’s an old couch and a bookcase against one wall, an L-shaped desk near the windows with a couple of chairs in front of it, and a large filing cabinet next to another door on the wall opposite the couch. Further inspection of the door reveals it to be a closet filled with books and random computer parts. Yuuri is at a loss where to even start since the NSA agents weren’t able to provide him with any detail on what this device might look like. It literally could be anything.

 

“Yuuri, see anything that looks like it could be a suspicious device that could possibly be used for nefarious purposes?” Otabek asks.

 

Yuuri huffs a laugh and walks over to the desk to start the search. “Nothing here is jumping out at me, but I’m not surprised. I doubt Cialdini would keep something this important just laying around.”

 

“Tell us what you see.”

 

Yuuri begins listing off the contents of the desk. “He has three monitors, a desktop computer which looks to be custom-built, no surprise there, then a laptop, desk phone and oh… looks like he left his cell phone here in his rush to leave as well. There’s a mug half-filled with cold coffee and then a just some pens and notebooks scattered about.”

 

Yuuri looks at the computers, but not surprisingly both are password protected. picks up a notebook and begins flipping through, but not seeing anything useful written in it. He then roots through the desk drawers but comes up empty. Glancing at his watch, he sees that it’s been only about five minutes since he’s been in the office, but doesn’t want to push it. Dammit, if he only had a clue.

 

“I’m thinking I’m going to have to hack into the computers, but first let me search through the filing cabinet.”

 

As Yuuri is rifling through the second drawer, the first being nothing but full of class lesson plans, loud chatter starts crackling through his earpiece, along with Minako and Cialdini’s voices.

 

“So where are we headed? You going to show me the cryptography lab and how you put all this interesting research to work?” Minako sounds a bit tipsy, but Yuuri knows that she takes her job seriously so he shouldn’t worry too much.

 

“Actually I was thinking about continuing our conversation in my office, but only if you’re comfortable with that. I do have a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label stashed in my desk, just waiting for a special occasion.”

 

“I might be amenable to that… are you saying that this is a special occasion then?” Minako giggles.

 

“Oh absolutely, I don’t usually have the pleasure of entertaining a beautiful woman like yourself, and especially not here.”

 

Yuuri hears what sounds like the ding of an elevator and freezes in horror. They must be heading up to the office right now — shit!

 

“Yuuri, darling… seems like we have a bit of a problem.” Christophe’s worried voice comes over. “Did you find anything at all? You’re going to have to get out of there.”

 

Yuuri’s phone suddenly vibrates in his pocket. He quickly checks it and sees that it’s a message from Victor warning him that Minako and Cialdini just got off the elevator and are heading down the hall in his direction.

 

“Shit! Victor just messaged and said they’re already up here. I’m going to have to hide, good thing there’s a closet.” Hopefully, Minako caught that so she’ll know to keep the doctor away from there.

 

“Oh darling, going back into the closet is not something we’d ever want to have to resort to.”

 

Yuuri slams the drawer shut and runs over to the closet, closing the door behind him just as he hears voices outside the office. Remembering to turn the vibration off his phone he quickly sends Victor a message back that he’s laying low and alright for now, just so he won’t worry or worse, want to do something crazy like cause a distraction.

 

“Alright guys, not so loud so he doesn’t hear anything through my earpiece. Minako, I hope you can hear me… keep Cialdini away from the closet and see if you can get any info out of him because I haven’t found a device or anything useful yet.”

 

Yuuri hears them enter the room and he crouches down and pushes himself against the wall, somehow fitting under the lowest set shelf, and listens in. Luckily Minako’s own earpiece is providing them the ability to hear the conversation without him having to strain or stand close to the door, he just hopes that its tiny size won’t be detectable if things start to become… a little more touchy-feely. Yuuri shudders at the thought, hoping against all hope that it doesn’t come down to that.

 

“Please make yourself comfortable, mia cara.”  Yuuri hears Cialdini walking around, the opening of a drawer and clinking of glassware, then the telltale squeaks of the old couch as he settles down with Minako.

 

“So Doctor, you say you don’t do this often but I have a hard time believing that from a man as smart as you and that looks as good as you do.” Minako giggles again and Yuuri worries for a moment that they can hear his eyes rolling into the back of his head. At least she’s good at playing the part, but he hopes that she’s able to pry something useful out of Cialdini or him having to listen to this will all be for naught.

 

“Well, honestly it’s not often I meet a woman so enticing and lovely, such as yourself. Now first, I kindly ask for you to please call me Ciao Ciao. That’s what all my special friends refer to me as.” More giggling from Minako is heard and Yuuri can’t help but make a silent gagging motion. “So my dear, what shall we drink to?”

 

Minako hums in thought for a moment. “How about we toast to… to making new _friends_?”

 

“Molto bene! To making new friends it is! Salute!” Yuuri hears the clinking of glasses.

 

Minako and Cialdini carry on with conversation for a while, discussing nothing of importance. Yuuri’s sure she’s trying to make Cialdini comfortable enough that he keeps his guard down. For the second time that day, Yuuri feels like he could just take a nap. However, after about ten minutes or so Minako let’s out a loud “Ooooh” followed by another flirtatious giggle. Yuuri perks up, trying to listen closely, only to next hear what sounds suspiciously like the smacking of lips.

 

_Oh god, no._

 

The horrifying realization slowly sinks in that the team is now being subjected to what sounds like Minako going in for the kill with Cialdini. Being trapped in the closet, Yuuri is stuck and can’t go running away as much as his body is gearing up to take flight.

 

“Oh, _yes_ … right there. Oh god, yes.”

 

“Mmm… mia cara you are simply too divine.”

 

“Ah, ah, oooohhh please more. _Please ... Ciao… Ciao._ ”

 

Yuuri glances around the closet, eyes now adjusted to the darkness, to see if there’s anything he can vomit into. He doesn’t think he could hate his life or wish for a painless death any more than he does at this moment. Ok, fine yes he knows that there’s nothing wrong with consulting adults getting busy, he himself was doing the same thing with his boyfriend just the other night, but no one was listening in (well, except maybe his poor neighbors, but that’s beside the point!). Yuuri seriously considers ripping out his earpiece but knows that if Minako is doing all this to make Cialdini slip and say something, he needs to be able to hear it.

 

Yuuri just curls tighter into a ball and tries to drown out the sound and thought of what was happening on the other side of the door by thinking happy thoughts about Victor instead.

 

The moaning and rustling of clothing continues for a few minutes until suddenly, someone of a higher power finally takes pity on Yuuri’s ears and stomach, as Cialdini’s phone starts ringing. Yuuri hears him gasp, then mutter “mi scusi, mi scusi”, as footsteps hurry across the room.

 

“Sí? Ah, well I’m a little tied up at the moment now… oh? Ah yes, I understand. Please give me about five minutes then to wrap up here and then I’ll come over to meet him. Grazie.”

 

“I’m so sorry my dear, but that was a colleague of mine. He’s in a meeting right now and they are in need of my presence. It seems to be quite urgent, so, unfortunately, I must go. And although I’d prefer you to stay here, I don’t know how long this will take and I’d hate to keep you waiting.” Yuuri hears him sigh in frustration, and can commiserate the feeling. Yuuri is no closer to finding any clues regarding this device. He’s beginning to suspect there might be nothing here — or maybe nothing at all. The thought of possibly having to search Cialdini’s apartment next is not a welcome thought.

 

The clicking of Minako’s heels echo through the office. “Oh that’s quite alright, I know you’re a very busy man. Such a hard worker, which I definitely can appreciate… and with _very_ talented hands as well. How about I give you my number so we can meet later? You can then show me just how hard you can really work.”

 

 _Jesus fucking Christ Minako, that was just plain bad_. Yuuri has to stifle a laugh.   

 

“Oooh, I do like the way you think bella mia.”

 

“Here, let me put my number in your phone… this one here on the desk?”

 

“No!” Cialdini replies a bit too loudly it seems. “Haha, sorry. That’s just a work phone, something I’m using for an experiment actually. Here’s my personal phone.” There’s some silence except for the sound of a desk drawer. Yuuri assumes Minako is entering false contact information into the phone.

 

Wait… was the “work phone” the one that was sitting out on the desk? Seems like Cialdini was a little quick to get that away from Minako. What're the chances he’ll leave it in the office so that Yuuri can take a look?

 

“Thank you, darling. Let me at least walk you out before I have to rush off.”

 

The opening and closing of the door, followed by glorious silence, alerts Yuuri to their departure. He exhales a sigh of relief and rolls out from under the shelves, standing and cracking his aching back before dusting himself off.

 

“You ok, mon chéri? Sounds like they left.”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Did you guys hear what happened with the phone? Maybe the cell phone that was sitting on his desk is what we’re looking for. I’m going to get out of here and take a look.”

 

“Yes, please get that lovely ass out of the closet. It’s been in there way too long now and I’m sure it’s gotten lonely.” Chris states and Yuuri can’t help but laugh.

 

“Very true Chris, I do have to agree with you there. Ok, here I go. Hopefully, Cialdini doesn’t pop back in before his meeting.”

 

Yuuri cracks open the closet door and peeks out, and seeing that the room is indeed empty, hurries over to the desk. His stomach drops as he sees the cell phone is no longer sitting on top the desk, however.

 

“Shit! It’s not here! I wonder if he took it with him? _Dammit!_ ”

 

Before he can panic, however, Minako’s voice yells into his ear, making him yelp and jump back.

 

“Yuuri! I’m downstairs now and Cialdini just ran off, hopefully to his meeting. He put that phone in the top drawer of his desk, so grab it and check it out… but quickly because I don’t know if he’s going to head back. I’m hoping he just ran off to the meeting.”

 

Yuuri pulls the drawer open, perhaps a little too roughly in his haste, and grabs the phone. It’s an older model smartphone, possibly five years old or more. Although some people don’t like to upgrade, it’s a bit suspicious that a man who works with technology would keep a relic like this as his work phone.

 

Keeping an eye on the door, he quickly powers it on. The screen comes to life but all that appears is a series of blank spaces — thirteen in total, the same setup for dialing internationally. Interesting. This might possibly be what Yuuri’s looking for. No normal use cell phone looks like this; there’s no lock screen with a password or emergency contact button. It doesn’t even have the same type of screen as if it was just an old model basic cell phone. Flipping it over, Yuuri sees there is a panel for a removable battery, another feature most phones today have done away with. Quickly using his nail to pry the panel off, he sees something nestled next to the battery that looks like some kind of chip, one that certainly doesn’t look to be an SD or microSD card.

 

“Yuuri? What’s happening?” Minako says. “I’m still in the lobby and there’s a lot of students walking in and out, so I’m not too conspicuous, but I sure would like to get the hell out of here please.”

 

“So quick to put some distance between you and your loverboy? What a shame since it sounds like you were having a nice time together.”

 

“You know I have ways to kill you so that no one would ever know nor find your body, right?” Minako replies dryly.

 

Yuuri laughs. “Ok, ok… sorry. So it looks like the phone might be it. I’m taking it with me and leaving now. Are you sure that Cialdini isn’t on his way back?”

 

“I can’t be positive since he did get back in the elevator, but took his laptop with him, so that’s a good sign.” Yuuri glances over and notices that the laptop is indeed gone.

 

“Alright, I’ll be down in a minute then. Meet you outside on the steps.” Yuuri quickly shoves the phone into his bag and makes his way to the door. Cracking it open he peeks out and seeing that the hallway is empty, quickly ducks out and walks towards the elevator. Victor is nowhere to be seen so Yuuri can only assume he headed into his meeting.  

 

Within five minutes Yuuri and Minako are walking down the block towards the van after Minako made sure to smack Yuuri hard on the arm while he was making gagging motions at her. Once they are safely inside, he sends a text to Victor to let him know he’s made it out of the building and to thank him again for all his help. Once they are back in the office, he’ll call de la Iglesia and let him know they have the device so he can schedule a drop-off time and finally be done with this whole ordeal.

 

Yuuri is looking forward to finally getting his life back.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference for Celestino's talk: [garykessler.net](https://www.garykessler.net/library/crypto.html)
> 
> Since Yuuri isn't on familiar terms with Celestino, I had to constantly refer to him as Cialdini in this chapter since this is Yuuri's POV. It was _really_ difficult I must say, as I'm so used to calling him Celestino. 
> 
> Thank to my amazing friend and beta, AJWolf, for your constant feedback and support! 
> 
> Come talk to me at Zupsgirl1 on Twitter and Tumblr!

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to [ajwolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajwolf/pseuds/ajwolf) for the beta. Please go check out their fics because they are an amazing writer and human and deserve all the love!
> 
> Let me know what you think, comments and kudos give me life!
> 
> Come say hi, I’m Zupsgirl1 on [Tumblr](http://Zupsgirl1.tumblr.com), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JustUsThreeZs?lang=en), [Dreamwidth](https://zupsgirl-1.dreamwidth.org/), and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/Zupsgirl1)
> 
> Check out my other YOI works on ao3: [Zupsgirl1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fraulein_Zupan/pseuds/Zupsgirl1)


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